2026 Supervisor of the Year: Tabitha from Ontario
During the 2026 Wendy’s Wonderful KidsTM Summit, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada recognized Tabitha, a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids supervisor with Durham Children’s Aid Society in Ontario, as a Supervisor of the Year.
Through our Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program, the Foundation supports the hiring of professionals, known as recruiters, who are dedicated to finding permanent families for children lingering in foster care. These professionals use an evidence-based, child-focused recruitment model to find the right family for every child in their care.
A rigorous, five-year national evaluation in the United States revealed that the model is up to 3x more effective at serving the longest-waiting children in care. That includes teenagers, children with special needs and siblings.
“Every day that I see [Tabitha] practicing, I learn that great teams are built by people who care deeply, who are intentional, and they elevate all the people around them,” said Susanne, service director at Durham Children’s Aid Society. “She leads from the heart. She’s a huge advocate for children and youth, and she has this natural ability to bring her team along in ways that they center the vision of Wendy’s Wonderful Kids.”
Tabitha goes above and beyond in her role as Wendy’s Wonderful Kids supervisor. She is a strong advocate for her staff and helps them break down barriers to implementing the child-focused recruitment model. She is also an advocate for Wendy’s Wonderful Kids in Ontario, having recently hosted a lunch and learn with agencies across the province to help them understand the model.
“It feels very honoring and very humbling [to be recognized as a Supervisor of the Year],” Tabitha shared. “I think the most incredible part of this for me was to have been nominated by my recruiters. That means everything really.”
Tabitha added, “I believe in my being and in my heart that every child and youth deserves permanency. They deserve a sense of belonging and connection and to have someone that shows up for them.”
Congratulations, Tabitha, and thank you for sharing our belief that a permanent family is possible for every child … no matter their story.
