Anne-Marie Naccarato

Legal Counsel and Member at Large

When news broke about a devastating car accident involving several young university students, Anne-Marie Naccarato recognized Melissa Vassallo’s name as being one of those seriously injured; she and Melissa had attended the same high school. Anne-Marie followed Melissa’s miraculous healing journey, silently rooting for her to beat the odds, and the two eventually connected on Facebook.

Years later, while working as a Toronto lawyer, Anne-Marie was intrigued by a post Melissa made about Giving Tuesday and her newly formed organization, MiaThrives. Compelled to do something to help Melissa in her efforts, Anne-Marie offered to provide pro bono legal services to MiaThrives. Her offer was met with a resounding, “yes, please!”

With a wealth of experience representing global organizations and working with international teams, Anne-Marie immediately got to work, helping MiaThrives become incorporated as a non-profit organization and working to register MiaThrives as a charity. Melissa recognized that Anne-Marie’s legal expertise (she holds a BA in political science from McGill and a law degree from the University of Ottawa), and the sincere compassion that drew her to volunteer her time to MiaThrives, would make her an excellent addition to the organization’s board of directors. Anne-Marie not only graciously accepted, but she also brought with her the skills of her lawyer husband, Jit.

In Anne-Marie’s downtime, she loves to cook, travel, and be bossed around by her young son. Anne-Marie hopes to support MiaThrives’ legal needs pro-bono well into the future, so that funds raised for the organization can be put into programs that directly assist families thriving with EB.

Anne-Marie’s Butterfly

Anne-Marie is represented by the Monarch Butterfly. The word “monarch” refers to a sovereign head-of-state, one who exercises the highest authority, much as a lawyer, like Anne-Marie, helps to ensure justice is upheld. Anne-Marie’s favourite colour is orange, like the wings of the Monarch. An orange butterfly sighting reminds us to stay focused on our plans. An orange butterfly also signifies a new dawn of transformation. When Anne-Marie joined MiaThrives, many of our plans finally became realized, opening up new financial possibilities for us.