Becky Catino: Empowering Women Striving for Self-Sufficiency

Becky Catino has long been a passionate advocate for supporting neighbors who are on a pathway to self-sufficiency. An entrepreneur and businesswoman by trade, Becky’s empathetic heart and concern for the underserved has underscored her involvement with St. Vincent de Paul, alongside her husband Ted, for many years. Their names, emblazoned above the doorway to our choice food pantry, welcome neighbors who visit St. Vincent de Paul’s Neyer Outreach Center for assistance with food, hygiene supplies and other personal care items.

Women in particular, Becky knows, are often faced with unique challenges, not only when it comes to accessing life’s basic necessities, but also in moving up the economic ladder. “The women I met [through my volunteer work with SVDP] had very specific challenges, which often kept them from meeting their goals. Support systems are critical…and I found that those just did not exist,” says Catino.

That is why Becky and Ted Catino have committed $1 million to create the Becky Catino Women’s Stability, Employment and Empowerment Program Fund to support the development and ongoing operations of St. Vincent de Paul’s Becky Catino Women’s Stability, Employment and Empowerment Program.

The program will empower women to achieve self-sufficiency and stability through one-on-one counseling and mentoring, group support and encouragement, and financial aid. Focusing on highly-motivated individuals, the core of the program is each woman’s desire to improve her financial security and her willingness to work hard to achieve her goals. In Catino’s words, “It will offer them a fighting chance to overcome those very difficult realities and challenges they face…our goal is to stop frustration and despair from transferring on to the next generation.”

Women who are enrolled in the Becky Catino Women’s Stability, Employment and Empowerment Program will work closely with Program Manager, Tara Kerrigan, to develop a career plan that, when implemented, will improve their professional skills and lead to steady employment. Financial support needed to implement that career plan, such as for tuition, work attire or professional licensing, will be provided by St. Vincent de Paul. Kerrigan says the biggest need she’s seeing at the moment is for the latter. “When you are in medical assisting or certain fields you must keep up on your education and licensing fees to work. What we have heard from multiple women is that COVID stopped them from having opportunities for internships and classes that they would need to progress in their field,” Kerrigan says. “SVDP will be helping with connecting them to the classes they need and helping with the costs of licensure or reinstatement.”

Recruitment for the program began earlier this summer, and the very first program participant receiving coaching and mentoring from Kerrigan started in July. “I have been humbled that I have been given the privilege of laying the foundation for something I am passionate about,” Kerrigan says, calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Catino has a message for these inaugural participants: “My goal, through this program, is to pass on to them optimism and hope…which will ultimately continue to impact the next generation.”

Tara Walsh-Kerrigan, Catino Women’s Self Sufficiency Program Manager