Organization
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The BumbleBee Foundation is a non-profit 501c3 based in Southern California and is looking to empower volunteers, fundraise, and assist pediatric cancer families.
Our Mission is to inspire hope and faith by providing support to the overall well-being of pediatric cancer families.
The BumbleBee Foundation was established in memory of Jarren Donatini, who at the age of four, passed away from a very rare form of liver cancer (Hepatoblastoma). During his eighteen-month battle with cancer, Jarren’s family was directly impacted with the overwhelming costs and emotional stress associated with caring for a pediatric cancer patient.
Jarren touched the lives of many, but the families that rallied around him and his family, providing love, faith, and hope during a time of great need, left such a profound impact that his parents immediately knew they were called to start an organization that would offer this same attitude of love and support for all families suffering from pediatric cancer.
Why BumbleBee? Jarren loved Transformers, particularly the Transformer named BumbleBee. Shortly after his passing, Jarren’s parents entered into a time of prayer seeking guidance on how to move forward after their loss and what they should name the foundation. On one particular occasion they noticed a BumbleBee pestering them but thought nothing of it until the next day while watching Jarren’s favorite movie, Transformers.
At one point in the movie Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots (the good guys) introduces the Transformers to the main character, Sam. It was when he turned to Sam and said, “you already know your guardian, BumbleBee.” Epiphany! Guardian! BumbleBee! Jarren! That’s it! The name of the foundation was established. Since then, Jarren’s family continues to be followed by many “random” BumbleBee sightings. They have learned that the sting of life through loss is incredibly painful, but that God is also there to comfort those that continue to seek Him.
The Leadership Team of the BumbleBee Foundation
Executive Board Members
Jason Donatini
Co-Founder, President
Jason Donatini serves as the BumbleBee Foundation’s President and is also the Co-Founder. After graduation Jason began studying political science but left to pursue a career in the HVAC industry while simultaneously completing his certification in an apprentice training program. Jason currently works as a Project Engineer for Ontario Refrigeration.
The BumbleBee foundation was born of Jason’s vision as he and his wife were so moved by the outpouring of love and support from friends, family and community when their son Jarren was diagnosed with liver cancer. In part of his role in the foundation Jason has a fervent desire to support fathers of pediatric cancer children. He is a passionate Christian and a devoted husband and father who enjoys cooking, golf, and traveling.
Matthew Breddan
Vice President
Matthew is a shareholder and head of the Calabasas office at the Reape-Rickett Law Firm. With over 25 years of experience – primarily in family law, he is dedicated to advocating for his clients and achieving the best results. Matthew’s expertise has been recognized in the legal community, being selected to the Southern California Super Lawyers list multiple times.
Beyond his legal work, Matthew is committed to serving his community by volunteering his time to the Los Angeles County Superior Courts as well as mediating in local courthouses. Additionally, he supports organizations such as Haven Hills domestic violence agency and the Boy Scouts of America and you can often find him organizing blood drives through his church when he’s not personally donating blood, platelets and plasma. Giving back is a core value in both his personal and professional life and we are so thrilled to have Matthew join our Board!
Christopher Dukes
Director
Christopher Dukes is originally from Omaha, Nebraska. He currently resides in Newbury Park with his wife Kristina, kids Sienna and Dylan and three spirited dogs – Vegas, Reno and Aspen. He began his financial career in 2003 and founded Dukes Wealth Management in 2007. Today, he has over 500 client households across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
Christopher currently serves on the board of directors for two nonprofit organizations supporting cancer – Wespark Cancer Support Center in Sherman Oaks as well as BumbleBee Foundation.
Additionally, Christopher has appeared in over 100 TV shows and movies as an actor and stunt performer. Some notable appearances include The West Wing from 1998-2000, GI Joe: Rise of Cobra in 2009, and our personal favorite, Transformers in 2007.
Curtis Scheetz
Director
Curtis Scheetz is the founder and owner of Total Environmental Management, Inc., a leader in the HVAC industry. After obtaining his AS in Heating, Ventilation and Cooling from Cypress College, Mr. Scheetz entered his profession on the ground floor, working in a stock room and later as a Controls Application Engineer. Mr. Scheetz’s passion for his industry combined with an astute ability to think outside the box led him to found TEM in 1985 as a way to provide emergency and temporary HVAC services lacking in the industry at that time. Today the company has the largest inventory of any HVAC rental company on the West Coast.
Mr. Scheetz is passionate about community service and fund raising. He currently volunteers for The Millers Children and Women’s Hospital of Long Beach and also Serving People in Need (SPIN) – an organization that helps homeless individuals in Orange County. He serves as the Vice President for Cypress College’s Foundation Board (his alma mater), where he helps fundraise and promote the school’s stellar HVAC program. He is also a regular blood and platelet donor and now a proud Board Member of BumbleBee Foundation.
Mr. Scheetz has been married to his beautiful wife, Jill, for 43 years and is the proud father of a son, Curtis and daughter Natalie.
Crista Hermance
Director
Crista Hermance was born and raised in Ventura, California. She majored in business management at San Diego State University and soon thereafter started working for Citigroup in Jacksonville, Florida. She worked as a project manager for Citigroup and traveled extensively throughout the world. She even ended up relocating to the Philippines for a year which was an opportunity of a lifetime. After living in the Philippines, she moved back to Ventura and began her legal career.
Crista started her legal career by volunteering at the Ventura County District Attorney’s office. She then started law school while simultaneously finding a position as a law clerk with a firm in Westlake Village where the flexible schedule allowed her to finish law school and take the California bar exam. After passing the bar, she received a promotion to associate attorney and focused on estate planning, personal injury and bankruptcy cases. She really enjoyed helping families with their estate planning and decided to start her own practice where she could focus solely on estate planning and ensuring that young families know how to protect their family. She finds great personal and professional satisfaction in helping parents create estate plans that provide them with that peace of mind. Crista now owns a law practice that is very family orientated.
Crista is married and has two young girls. Her passion for protecting kids got her involved to support organizations like BumbleBee and she is dedicated to helping families.
KaSandre Kirby
Director
KaSandre Kirby was introduced to BumbleBee shortly after her nephew, Asher Calloway was diagnosed with brain cancer. BumbleBee showered the Calloway family with love and resources leading KaSandre to invest in their work after Asher received his angel wings.
KaSandre’s desire to be a walking example of her Christian faith, and connect with people, led her to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from California State University, Northridge and her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Southern California, focusing on Community Organizing, Planning and Administration.
KaSandre has over ten years of experience in organizational development. Her expertise specifically lies in policy analysis, human resources investigations, and diversity inclusion. With a macro social work lens KaSandre uses her gift of compassion and policy analysis to connect people with resources.
KaSandre’s passions include quality family time, reading, watching a comedic film, and being in character on a film or television set.
BEEhive Staff
Heather Donatini
Executive Director & Co-Founder, aka Queen Bee
Co-Founder Heather serves as BumbleBee’s Executive Director, aka Queen Bee. She is a Liberal Studies graduate from Cal Poly Pomona. Prior to BumbleBee, she worked as an Executive Assistant for many years at a Graduate University of Medical Sciences before quitting to be a stay at home mom with the arrival of first son, Jarren. After Jarren’s passing, Heather and her husband Jason created the BumbleBee Foundation to assist other families on their cancer journey.
Heather is grateful to have the opportunity to run the foundation’s day-to-day operations and enjoys being able to share love and hope with cancer kids that become a part of her “family.” Heather is still a very involved stay-at-home mom to two more blessings that bring much love and grace. She is as passionate about her faith in Christ as she is about her family and BumbleBee.
Jamie Timms
Community Engagement Coordinator
Jamie, a native of Southern California, resides in Westlake Village with her partner, son, and two dogs. With a background encompassing 20 years in the hospitality and service sectors, Jamie’s passion for non-profits was ignited during her time as a Special Event Coordinator for a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles. This experience fueled her determination to pursue a career where she can positively impact the community.
Jamie is enthusiastic about being a part of the BumbleBee Team and is eager to contribute to the ongoing support and growth of BBF in the coming years.
Advisory Council
Chair
Co-Chair
Secretary & Immediate past Chair
Veronica Patterson
Lindsee Porter
Brandon Feder
Jenifer Pfautsch
Cheryl Hirsch
Mike Knuzel
Junior Advisory Council
Madelyn Galle
Leila Kirk
Sponsors
Thank you, generous donors, for your continued support.
Interested in sponsoring? Email us.
Community Partners
To learn more about these wonderful non-profits, click on their logos.
New partners, email us.
Financials
We exist to help pediatric cancer families through the many challenges of cancer.
Financials can be found on Guidestar or by contacting us for more information.
Jobs
To apply send resume to: heather@bumblebeefoundation.org
JOB TITLE
Operations Manager
Location: Westlake Village, CA
Reports to: Executive Director
Employment Type: Full-time, hybrid. Occasional evenings and weekends due to various events.
Job Overview:
The Operations Manager will assist the Executive Director in ensuring the smooth and efficient day-to-day operations of the BumbleBee Foundation (BBF). This role requires a strategic and detail-oriented professional with a passion for supporting the well-being of pediatric cancer families. The Operations Manager will oversee administrative processes, provide support with event planning, occasional solicitation and grant writing, and other operational activities. They will offer plans to enhance organizational efficiency, streamline processes, and ensure compliance with policies and procedures.
Key Responsibilities:
- Operational Leadership:
- Develop and implement operational policies, systems, and procedures to improve organizational efficiency (Employee Handbook).
- Collaborate with the Executive Director to align operational activities with the organization’s mission and goals.
- Manage day-to-day operations, including office management, vendor relations, and supply procurement.
- Financial Oversight:
- Work with the Executive Director to manage budgeting (bills, mailings, calls, etc.), forecasting, and financial reporting.
- Monitor and manage expenses to ensure compliance with the budget.
- Assist with grant management and reporting, ensuring proper allocation of funds and adherence to financial reporting requirements.
- Human Resources:
- Oversee recruitment, onboarding, and training of staff and volunteers.
- Manage employee performance.
- Ensure compliance with labor laws and organizational policies.
- Maintain BBF LinkedIn account.
- Compliance and Risk Management:
- Prepare Annual Impact Report.
- Complete annual filings required by the state.
- Generate and send donor receipts.
- Database management – Salesforce and other applications as needed.
- Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
- Develop and maintain risk management policies, including data protection and workplace safety protocols.
- Program and Event Support:
- Assist in the planning and execution of BBF events and programs.
- Collaborate with the Community Engagement Coordinator.
- Work closely with the Advisory Council to plan fundraisers and events.
- Coordinate logistics, resource allocation, and volunteer support for major projects.
- Monitor and update website content.
Qualifications:
- 5+ years of experience in operations management, preferably in the non-profit sector.
- Strong organizational and project management skills.
- 3+ years of experience with financial management and budgeting.
- 2+ years of experience with Sales force or a similar application preferred.
- Excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, etc.)
- Proficiency in Survey Monkey, MailChimp, and GiveSmart
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
- Ability to work collaboratively and support a positive team environment.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Preference is given to those with experience working with non-profit organizations.
- Knowledge of Human Resources best practices and labor laws.
- Familiarity with grant management and reporting.
Compensation:
- Salary range: $65,000 – $70,000 DOQ
- Benefits: paid time off (sick, vacation, holidays), schedule flexibility (telework)
To apply send resume to: heather@bumblebeefoundation.org