Thinking big

By Tamar Satov

In 1988, Trish Barbato joined Big Sisters of London, Ont., and became a mentor to 10-year-old Keesha Dorosz, hoping to make a difference in the girl's life. Sixteen years later, Dorosz is a university graduate with a Little Sister of her own, and Barbato is chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada — making a difference for 19,000-plus children across the country.

"I believe that mentoring works — it can have a profound impact on a person's life," says the 39-year-old CA, who is CFO and vice-president of corporate services at Providence Healthcare, a Toronto hospital for rehabilitation and long-term care. "Kids mentored in our program are less likely to use drugs and alcohol and are more likely to pursue post-secondary education and enter positive relationships," Barbato adds. "I've seen it in action and it's pretty compelling."

Indeed, when Barbato entered the picture, Dorosz was struggling at home and in school. But she turned things around and eventually became her high school's valedictorian. "When Keesha made her speech, she credited her success to our relationship," says Barbato. "It was very moving."

Today, Barbato helps set the agenda for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, including fundraising, marketing and finding new ways to serve more children. With 10,000 kids on the waiting list, one of those ways is in-school mentoring, where volunteers are matched with children who go to school near their workplaces for one hour of mentoring a week. "The commitment is less, but the benefits are still very good," says Barbato, whose own time commitment to the organization is up to five hours per week.

Barbato, who also spent five years as chair of a camp for underprivileged children and 11 years on the United Way's planning and allocation committee, believes CAs have an added responsibility to join charitable organizations because they have skills that are desperately needed. "All these places need boards and audit committees — they need leaders," she says. "Don't wait. Just jump in and do it."