Gary Bonacker, Founder
Wade Miller, President
Debbie Pantenburg, Executive Director
Who We Are
Pediatric Foundation is managed by passionate individuals from the business, medical, and non-profit communities of in Oregon who are committed to supporting families who have a child with cancer.
We serve children from a vast region in rural Central Oregon including Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson, Wasco, Harney and Lake Counties. We're an all-volunteer organization with almost no overhead and your donation goes directly into the hands of parents who need the help.
Our History -In 2009, Debbie and Leon Pantenburg, lost their son, Jimmy, to brain cancer at 15 years old. At the time, Gary Bonacker was a family friend and founder of the renowned Oregon Tour des Chutes nonprofit cycling event in Bend, benefitting adults with cancer. After Jimmy's death, Gary worked to expand the event to provide financial support for children with cancer.
Gary and Debbie approached their friend Wade Miller and Dr. Dale Svendsen, both respected professionals in pediatric healthcare, to help secure funding for a new nonprofit.
Wade Miller is the President of Pediatric Foundation and has since moved to Portland as CEO of Metropolitan Pediatrics, the largest private pediatric group in Oregon. Debbie Pantenburg continues serving as volunteer Executive Director and is the patient facing contact for the group.
Wade Miller, MBA, Founder and President
As a highly experienced, medical practice and hospital administrator, Wade Miller has a passion for ensuring organizations run correctly and with purpose. Overseeing Pediatric Foundation allows him to give back to families who have been devastated by disease and need extra support to help manage it.
Debbie Pantenburg, Founding Executive Director
Debbie is the family-facing representative for the organization, having conversations with donors, hospital social workers, medical providers, and the families we serve. She personally arranges for the financial support for each of a family's unique needs. With Debbie's background as both a business executive and mother who has lost a child to cancer, she's uniquely positioned to understand what families face while ensuring the nonprofit is well run.
Gary Bonacker, Founder, Deceased
Gary is well known in Central Oregon for having lived with brain cancer through an extraordinary journey that resulted in his founding the regionally acclaimed Tour des Chutes, an annual non-profit cycling and running event raising hundreds of thousands for cancer survivors over the past 20 years. Gary ultimately died of cancer in September 2023, and his passion for helping others lives on as his legacy.
CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS
Wade Miller, MBA
Resa Bradeen, MD FAAP
Debbie Pantenburg