Canasta for a Cause

September 23, 2025

Date & Time:

Thursday, September 18, 2025 • 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Location:

Brentwood Country Club

590 S. Burlingame Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90049

Beauty Bus Foundation hosted its fourth Benefits series event, Canasta for a Cause, with generous support from Lynn Bider, Linda Rosenson, and Susan Shemin. The afternoon brought together lively gameplay, community, and purpose—complete with Canasta lessons and a delicious lunch—all in support of Beauty Bus’s vital mission.

Event Highlights

Games & Giving: Guests gathered for lively Canasta play, with supportive guidance available—making it fun for both seasoned players and those new to the game.
Community Connections: As cards were dealt and hands were played, conversations blossomed—building a warm, welcoming space for supporters to connect over shared compassion.
Mission in Motion: Every shuffle, every laugh, and every point scored helped raise vital funds to bring beauty, dignity, and hope to patients and caregivers.

Why Canasta for a Cause Matters

“Canasta for a Cause” reflects Beauty Bus’s creative spirit in fundraising—transforming a classic card game into an opportunity for impact. With every hand played, the event demonstrated how community, joy, and philanthropy come together to uplift individuals facing serious illness.

Event Recap

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Mary Dorotan

Development & Database Manager

Mary is a nonprofit professional with a passion for community service and social justice. A proud Matador, she earned her BA in Criminology and Justice Studies from California State University, Northridge. Over the past five years, she has supported a range of nonprofit efforts—including advocating for individuals impacted by the criminal justice system at Project Rebound and The Bail Project, providing trauma-informed care to sexual assault survivors at Strength United, building meaningful partnerships and managing volunteers at Reading Partners, and leading a gift-giving program for children in domestic violence shelters at PRESENT NOW.

Mary is thrilled to join the Beauty Bus team as their Development and Database Manager, where she’ll help advance their mission of bringing kindness and compassion to seriously ill patients and their caregivers. Outside of work, she loves hiking, singing, making delicious coffee and cocktails, and cooking for her friends and family!

Deborah Conrad

Member

Deborah Conrad is a corporate lawyer with over 30 years of experience advising public and private companies, investment funds, investment banks and boards of directors in a variety of matters including acquisitions and dispositions, capital market financing, partnerships, joint ventures, governance and compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission requirements. Prior to her retirement, she was a partner at the international law firm, Milbank LLP, serving as a long-time advisor to several public companies and holding numerous leadership positions.

She is a member of the Westside Guild for Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and a board member of The National Charity League, Westside Chapter. She is a graduate of University of Wyoming and University of Minnesota and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children. She is excited to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of Beauty Bus and to support its mission to deliver kindness and compassion to patients and their caregivers.

Norma Jean Adriano

Program Team Manager

Norma Jean is a dual-licensed Barber and Cosmetologist with over 12 years of experience, managing multiple salons in Los Angeles and Orange County. Inspired by her parents’ volunteer work on Skid Row and her family’s charitable efforts in the Philippines, she is dedicated to community service.

Currently, Norma Jean volunteers with St. Jude, St. Baldrick’s, and the American Cancer Society, participating in events like head-shaving for children’s cancer research and the annual Coaches Vs. Cancer event in Las Vegas. Through Beauty Bus, she combines her expertise in the beauty industry with her passion for volunteering, supporting both current and future volunteers.

Emilio Olson

Marketing & Partnerships Manager

Emilio comes to Beauty Bus with the mindset that relationships and human connection should always be at the forefront of good work. Over the past 10+ years he has worked in child development and education in both public and private sectors. He expanded his passion for people and learning when he joined an e-commerce gifting company in 2021 and became Studio Director in 2022. There he spearheaded multiple facets of the company (client relations, project planning, social media execution, product sourcing/design, etc.) with a priority on quality relationships, customer service, retention, and building good faith in the brand.

He is thrilled to be a part of the non-profit sector through Beauty Bus as Marketing and Partnerships Manager, bringing his passion for people, community service, and exciting ideas to an organization that does such incredible work.

Ruth Laurent-Kocher

Executive Director

Ruth is a dynamic leader with over 20 years of experience in customer-driven companies. Starting her career as a marketing executive for a global media corporation in the UK and Australia, she later transitioned to an entrepreneur, launching a national sports consumer products company here in the US. Ruth has a proven track record of pioneering new business models, driving revenue, scaling operations, and coaching high-performing teams.

In addition, Ruth has a personal passion for philanthropy and making a difference in people’s lives. As a volunteer, she has created sustainable revenue streams for local public schools and managed numerous partnerships with leading LA non-profits as a Board Member of The National Charity League, Westside Chapter. She is proud to call LA her home. When not working or volunteering, you can find Ruth in the kitchen creating healthy home-cooked food, planning her next family travel adventure, enjoying downward dog at yoga, running with her actual dog, or simply catching up with friends.

Ruth brings the enthusiasm, energy, business discipline, and experience to drive growth, increase impact, and ensure the sustainability of Beauty Bus and our critical service.

Bill Brahos is a Senior Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Private Wealth Management in Century City, California. With over 30 years of experience, he provides customized financial strategies, guiding clients in wealth management, retirement planning, and investment solutions. A Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisor” and “Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams” honoree, he partners with CPAs and attorneys to deliver comprehensive financial guidance.

A Notre Dame and Duke graduate, he remains active in alumni programs and serves as a Board Member of Beauty Bus, contributing his expertise to support its mission.

Michelle Bider Stone

Member

Cantor Michelle Bider Stone serves as Ritual Innovator at Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, as a consultant for Jewish not-for-profit organizations, and as a finance/accounting recruiter here in Los Angeles. She previously was the Director, Los Angeles for the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, where she oversaw all programmatic activity and relationship management in Los Angeles and Southern California.

In her philanthropic work, she also sits on the boards of the Cantors Assembly, theatre dybbuk, and the Jewish Womens Repertory Company and is involved with the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Michelle received her BA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Phi Beta Kappa from Brandeis University and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

She received a Master’s Degree in Sacred Music and is ordained as a cantor from the Academy for Jewish Religion, CA. Previously, Michelle worked in investment banking, equity research, and financial consulting at Credit Suisse, Lehman Brothers, and The Salter Group. She and her husband Dan live in Los Angeles with their three children.

Jeremy Cramer

member

Jeremy Cramer has spent his career supporting leading nonprofit organizations focused on systemic change in both health care and education. He started his career in philanthropy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, then led the major gifts fundraising program at the world’s first nonprofit biotechnology company working to find a cure for Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Jeremy led the Office of Alumni Affairs and the capital fundraising team at Fay School in Boston and the major gifts program at the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley.

Before founding Exponential Philanthropy, Jeremy was the Chief Development Officer at a global anti-bigotry organization called Facing History and Ourselves. Jeremy now serves as Philanthropic Advisor to The Crimson Lion / Lavine Family Foundation, coaches and mentors executives on organizational and fundraising strategy, and provides counsel to organizations to help them realize their philanthropic potential.

Ida Barba came to Beauty Bus through her work with Occidental Petroleum and California Resources Corporation where she served in the CEO’s office and also as a community liaison for nonprofit organizations. She is currently the Administrative Manager at Black Knight Energy.

Additional volunteer work includes the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clarita, Special Olympics of Santa Clarita, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and South Central LAMP among others. Ida is passionate about volunteer work and is a long-time supporter of Beauty Bus. What Ida loves most about Beauty Bus is that the organization is built on what she calls “a foundation of compassion.”

Wendy Marantz Levine

Founder

Wendy Marantz Levine co-founded Beauty Bus Foundation in 2009 in memory of her beloved sister, Melissa Marantz Nealy, and has been its guiding force ever since.

Before the founding of Beauty Bus, Wendy practiced law and was Director of Litigation and Pro Bono work at Bet Tzedek Legal Services which serves the elderly, poor, and disabled. She also helped to create the International Holocaust Services Justice Network, which provided free legal services to Holocaust survivors. Her work prior to Bet Tzedek included litigation experience at the trial and appellate levels as well as two cases decided by the Supreme Court. At the firm of Irell & Manella LLP in Los Angeles, she practiced in the appellate and litigation departments.

Wendy graduated from Duke University and the University of Michigan Law School, where she was Executive Editor of the Law Review. Wendy, her husband Eric and two young kids support Beauty Bus to honor Melissa’s memory because “the lift and gift of beauty has the power to transform lives and support families when they need it most.”