Thoughts on Motherhood from our COO, Kim

Hello, and Happy Mother’s Day!

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for being part of our extended ABLE family and celebrating Mother’s Day together with us.

My name is Kim, and as the Chief Operating Officer at ABLE, I have the opportunity to work with so many amazing women and to give back to my community.

I grew up in poverty raised by a single mom who could barely make ends meet. If it hadn’t been for the church at Christmas time, we would not have had Christmas presents. I know firsthand how difficult it is to see my mother try to provide for her family on a minimum wage. Because I felt the effects of this so deeply as a child, ABLE’s goal to provide a living wage to all its workers is especially near and dear to me. 

I had to step out on my own at the age of sixteen. Though I no longer lived with my family, I was fortunate enough to find a mentor who became my chosen family– her name was Joyce. I had always been told I couldn’t be in management because I didn’t have a university degree, but she took a chance and gave me my first leadership role. I never looked back. I had a beautiful daughter, Kaytlen, whom I’m so proud of. I went on to become the president of several distinguished fashion companies, and was even able to complete my education! All of this was possible because someone invested in me.

Today, at ABLE, my favorite part of my job is mentoring other women and providing them with opportunities to grow and become successful. It’s my chance to give back and hopefully inspire other women to dream big and go after whatever they want to achieve. I want to do for them what Joyce did for me.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t change your past, but you can greatly impact  your future and empower others to do the same! So whether you’re a mother, daughter, mentor, or sister– you have influence and you have value.

Warmest,

Kim