Kim Casineau’s journey is one of resilience, empowerment, and paying it forward. Today, she is the owner of The Coating House, an AS9100-ISO-certified manufacturer located in East Longmeadow, and a volunteer on the YWCA Board of Directors.
Overcoming Challenges
Kim’s mother died just six months after a cancer diagnosis on the day before Kim was to enter seventh grade. As she describes, “She had been very, very sick.” Her father, thirty-nine at the time, was left with four children to raise and didn’t have the skills. This led to a challenging period in Kim’s life. Feeling she had no choice, Kim left home. “I had lost my mother, father, and entire family,” she recalls.
Finding Support in the YWCA
During this difficult time, the YWCA provided her with much-needed support. This experience left a lasting impact on her. “Receiving services from the YWCA was a short moment in my life, but there has always been a connection,” Casineau shares. Inspired by the generosity shown to her, she has since made it her mission to reach out to other women and girls whom she feels she could positively impact.
Giving Back
As soon as Kim was able, she began to contribute to the YWCA, increasing her contributions as her income increased. In 2019, she was asked to serve on the Board of Directors, and she currently serves as the board’s President. She is also part of an upcoming effort to implement a new educational program, The HERE Project, for high school students focused on promoting healthy and empowering relationships.
Spreading Awareness
Kim hopes to use her experiences and her position as a business owner to raise awareness for the YWCA and its services, so more women can benefit. She also dispels the common misconception that poverty and domestic violence only affect a certain population, explaining, “That’s simply not true. It does not discriminate. The YWCA is a necessary resource that needs community support. It takes a village.”
Supporting Other Non-Profit Organizations
Kim also supports other nonprofit organizations, including ‘I Found Light Against All Odds’, ‘Dress for Success’, which offers support and professional attire, ‘Open Pantry Community Services’, which provides food, housing, and social services, and ‘Soldier On’, which coordinates housing and supportive services for homeless veterans.
Mentorship and Diversity at The Coating House
At The Coating House, Casineau is committed to creating diversity among her employees. Her business offers a proprietary adhesive coating process that provides optimum locking and sealing capabilities for fasteners, fittings, and bolts. As a woman-led business owner, one of her goals is to create a mentorship program between her business and the women utilizing YWCA services.
“It doesn’t matter where you start. What matters is when you decide to take ownership of where you are going,” – Kim Casineau.
Read Kim’s full inspirational journey, her story of perseverance, and commitment to creating opportunities for women in Western Mass here:
ihttps://www.ywworks.org/donor-spotlight-kim-casineau-the-coating-house-east-longmeadow/