Chris has an Electrical Engineering and Computer Programming background. She owned and ran her own business for many years. She started Birthday Dreams in 2009 in her garage. She has worn many hats through the years in her role as ED: volunteer coordinator, purchasing, gift wrapping, delivery driver, bookkeeper, Board Chair, grant writer, and many more. She also created the website and the inventory management program which are used in the day to day operations of the business. Chris is blessed to have an extremely strong, capable team who know how very important their mission is.
Jarod Drozdowski joined the team in 2021. As our Development Director, Jarod brings nearly 20 years of non-profit and fundraising management experience to our organization. In his professional career, Jarod has worked in arts/culture, academia, city government, and non-profit healthcare settings. One highlight was being the “Official Security Detail” for Santa and Mrs. Claus when he was the Event Director of the Christmas Lighting Ceremony in Leavenworth, WA. He is a proud dad of a terrific 10-year old son and a constantly-shedding 13 year old dog. Jarod holds a B.A. in Art History and a M.S. in Cultural Resource Management. In his spare time, Jarod enjoys hiking, camping, traveling, painting landscapes, photography, and continuing his research of ancient world cultures.
Heidi has a professional background in government affairs, health care policy and nonprofit management. As an active volunteer, Heidi found it especially meaningful to help at Birthday Dreams’ parties at Mary’s Place. She grew up in Colorado and holds a B.A. from Tulane University and an M.S.P.H. from the University of North Carolina. She is married with two young adult children and enjoys skiing, hiking, paddle boarding and traveling. During her husband’s 17 years in the military, Heidi lived everywhere from Hawaii to Oklahoma.
Robbie started working for Birthday Dreams as an intern in 2018. She has a background of 10 years in collections and customer service. Robenita is responsible for running the programs and coordinating with the agencies we partner with. She ensures that quality products are delivered. She is responsible for putting together birthday parties, and assisting with inventory tracking. She works with the local community, creating partnerships to provide locations for birthday parties. She has a way of talking to our clients that keeps them comfortable and ensures they get the services and contacts that they need.
Cece is currently a senior at Liberty High School and Bellevue College. Her hobbies include playing the flute, hiking, rock climbing, and tumbling. She says her biggest accomplishment was making a plastic ball gown out of 1,000 plastic bags for her FCCLA Regional Competition. This gown was made to symbolize how much trash is dumped into the ocean every year. After high school, she wants to go into pre-med at University of Washington. She plans to major in Biology and minor in Marketing
Jenny is currently a senior at Liberty High School. In her spare time, she likes to read books, play her favorite pieces on the piano, and work on any side projects she may have going on. After high school, she plans to do something in STEM and also pursue marketing more, hopefully at the University of Washington.