LONGMEADOW – Longmeadow’s UNICO chapter was chartered in the year 2000.  The group focuses on raising money to benefit programs for mental health, Italian culture, community support, and educational scholarships.  Last week, 17 years after its charter, UNICO inducted its first female president.

On June 16, Longmeadow’s UNICO chapter gained their first-ever female president, who additionally, was the chapter’s first female member in 2010.

Kimberly Roche, 28, of Springfield has worked her way through the ranks, starting as an intern for the group.

“I interned for them for a year, and at the end of the year they had not yet had any female members.  They didn’t want to lose the work that I was doing, but they had to vote to see whether or not they would allow a female in, so they waited an extra semester’s worth of time and let me stay on as an intern until they were able to vote about it,” Roche reminisced.

Once she gained membership, Roche worked through the ranks of the group.  She’s served on the board, as second vice president and up until last week she was vice president of UNICO.

“The next natural step is president.  It’s pretty fair, everyone rotates through, and we all support each other.”

At the moment, Roche is still the only female member of UNICO.  However, this isn’t to say that the group isn’t working on recruiting more women.

“We had a couple of inquiries and we have an inquiry right now, but we’re waiting to see if they’ll actually join.  It’s a bit of work [being a member], we have to pay dues and stuff too,” Roche said.

Though all of the other members of the group are all men, Roche said the group is extremely supportive of one another and it doesn’t feel like she’s out of place.

“I feel like just another member, and they call me their sister unican, so I just like to emphasize their support,” Roche said of her fellow UNICO members.

Every October UNICO hosts a food and wine tasting at the Basketball Hall of Fame.  Tickets cost around $35, and people can taste spirits and food from the area.

“It’s just such a great event because not only does that event help us raise money for the different organizations we support, but also, it’s an event that helps establish community in the Springfield area,” Roche added, “It’s not just about giving money, it’s about encouraging the local community to just feel like a community.”

As a recent graduate of Western New England University Law School, when she isn’t studying for the Bar Exam, Roche enjoys spending time with her husband.