Fundacion "Katherine Nicole"

Fundacion "Katherine Nicole" was created in honor of a young girl, Katherine Nicole, that lost her battle with cancer.  The Fundación is a recognized charitable foundation in Puerto Lopez, Manabi, Ecuador. It exists to serve families battling cancer and supporting their needs. Many of these families are living in poverty and families exist on as little as $50 a month. The added financial burden of supportive care while battling cancer is often out of their reach. Critical items such as cleaning supplies, face masks, laboratory test costs, transportation that avoids mass gatherings, and medical treatment costs are an everyday struggle for these families. Whenever possible, reusable items are purchased through the foundation so that they can be shared after use, with the caveat of proper disinfection procedures. This is an ongoing need, and the need is great.

In late 2018, Marc and Barbara Bautista, expats from the United States living in Ecuador, helped in the efforts to support the growing Fundación in its mission. During a visit from the United States, Marc's brother Steven Bautista, a retired chief of probation and polio survivor, visited and participated in an international fishing derby. When winning the tournament, he publicly announced the donation of all funds won to the Fundación, and encouraged others to join in supporting those who are battling long term illness. Now, in 2020, Marc's son, Phillip Bautista, a registered nurse and professional association nursing leader, is joining to help create an avenue for donations from around the world to support these children battling cancer in Ecuador. All donations are given directly to the Fundación for direct donation to the affected families. No money is withheld for administrative or any other overhead expenses, excepting required transaction processing fees.

1) All GoFundMe account balances will be withdrawn monthly for donations to the foundation. The foundation may also request a more frequent schedule for emergent needs.

2) All private/direct donors will be thanked and posted on the Facebook page for clarity and transparency. If they wish to remain anonymous, they will be given a donor ID to follow their donation.

3) Funds will be transferred from the US to the foundation in Puerto Lopez, EC via direct transfer to a patron of the foundation so as to minimize the fees associated with transfer of funds.

4) Once received by the foundation, the foundation will acknowledge receipt of funds via Facebook page.

5) Regular updates will show the use of the funds on Facebook, as appropriate. Funds donated will be used for the areas of greatest need at the discretion of the foundation.