Barbara Ducharme still has a busy ‘Tomorrow’

“Hold on a minute,” Barbara Ducharme said in a recent interview at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. A woman and a little girl with blonde hair and a Beatles t-shirt were smiling and waving at her, so she had to run over for hugs and hellos.

It’s no surprise that Ducharme, a mother of five and grandmother of 11, is a very familiar face around the hospital. The Cranston resident has been the executive director of The Tomorrow Fund, a nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Edwin Forman that assists the families of children with cancer, for 18 years. Come January, she’ll be retired and a new executive director will be in place.

Though she’s been at the reins for so long, Ducharme is not anxious about who will take them next. She said the fund would be in good hands with Lisa Abbenante.

“I have some really big shoes to fill, but I’m up for the challenge. Barbara’s a fabulous mentor,” Abbenante said.

Like Ducharme, Abbenante worked her way up in the Fund, starting as a volunteer, then the chair of the Fantasy Ball, a director, and then the president of the board of directors.

“I want to pass my job on to someone that I feel can do what I’ve done, and I really feel Lisa is that person,” Ducharme said.

The Tomorrow Fund “has and continues to provide daily financial and emotional support to children with cancer and their families” who are treated in their clinic at Hasbro in Providence. In addition, it provides $15 per day stipends for in-patient families, $50 per day stipends for out of state treatment, hospital parking passes for the duration of treatment, financial aid for home expenses such as heat, utilities, and rent, Camp Dotty, the Dino Germani Scholarship Fund (Ducharme said there will be a scholarship in her name soon as well), a survivor fund, and a funeral fund. To date, Tomorrow Fund has serviced more than 1,500 children and families.

“[We have] to be positive, to have a good attitude, take the lemons and make lemonade, and our families do that,” said Ducharme. “Our job is to make sure we’re right there with them.”

Though their jobs are difficult and some days are hard, Ducharme and her counterparts at the Tomorrow Fund find ways to keep positive. Inside the clinic at Hasbro, hospital staff smile, hug each other and laugh together. They talk to children in buoyant voices, creating a sense of comfort. Ducharme and Abbenante point to walls covered in artwork made by Camp Dotty (a weeklong camp for children and families coping with oncology diagnoses) attendees and a waiting room decorated with nautical themed ornaments.

As The Tomorrow Fund is a nonprofit, its efforts like the clinic at Hasbro are largely supported through fundraising. The Fund recently hosted its Fantasy Ball, which Ducharme and Abbenante said is always their biggest fundraiser. This year, more than 600 people attended and 100 volunteered. It’s a lot of effort to put on – Ducharme compares it to having a child because it takes nine months to organize. By the day of the event, everyone is ready for it to be over, but the results are phenomenal, she said. This year’s ball raised more than $300,000. At the event, a moment was taken to honor Ducharme with a video, flowers, notes in the event program, and the announcement of the scholarship.

Though one would expect her to not have these huge events on her plate anymore, Ducharme laughed and said “I won’t have any!” when asked what she’ll do with her spare time after retirement. She does have some personal plans, but will also remain around for support as Abbenante assumes her duties.

“In a way I hate to step down, but it’s time. I’m still going to be here, but in a different capacity,” Ducharme said.

Inside the Fantasy Ball program book, she left emotional remarks about her time as Executive Director.

“I feel so fortunate to have witnessed firsthand the remarkable progress that has occurred,” she wrote. “Cancer will always be a scary word, especially as it relates to a child’s diagnosis, but I am so inspired by the determined mindset of our kids and their families to fight the good fight to overcome this horrible disease. Their example fueled my own determination to always be part of their battle, and my rewards are self evident.”

CALMING ATMOSPHERE: Clay artwork hangs throughout the halls at the Tomorrow Fund Clinic at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.