Community Action is happy to announce the recipient of our 2024 February Staff Spotlight, Policy, Communications, & Training Administrator for Energy Conservation, Ashley Harer.
Her nominator said, "Ashley Harer is always up to take on new projects and is fantastic to work with on cross departmental projects. She always advocates for her departments participants and makes sure that they are always treated with respect. She always responds promptly to emails and if she doesn't know the answer, searches it out with you and is a great help! She is an absolute joy to have around the office and always offers a smile; I don't know how her Department would survive without her!"
It is clear that this is a person who is passionate about Community Action’s mission, vision, and values. Recently we caught up with Ashley to learn more about her and how she views her role at Community Action.
What is your favorite part about working at CAPRW?
My favorite part about working for CAPRW is being able to help people; I am inspired and motivated by the positive impact that we have on the communities and counties that we serve.
Do you have a favorite memory about working with families?
My favorite heartwarming memory was when we were able to provide thoughtful accommodations for an elderly client who was having vermiculite removed from his home. The client was needing an extended-stay hotel for himself and his dog, while the abatement/removal work was being performed, requiring him to vacate his home for around a week. When an environmental toxin is being addressed in a client's home, to minimize burdens related to vacating, we try to make sure that the hotel is close to the client's home/area. However, since this client's home is located in a more rural area, the closest extended-stay hotel was around 30 minutes away; instead, I was able to find a 5-star Airbnb that was located in his area, that looked much roomier than a hotel, and that had a yard for his dog, for the same price as the far away extended-stay hotel. This is my favorite memory because I don't often get to work with clients directly and he was so thankful for the accomodation. I also loved that we were able to not only foster a positive outcome for our elderly client but we also supported a 'Super Host' rather than a corporate chain.
How did you come to decide to work for a nonprofit?
I decided to work for a nonprofit organization because I have always been passionate about helping others and have always loved philanthropy; I also aspire to have a nonprofit of my own one day. I was offered a position as an Administrative Assistant Temp and loved that that meant that I would be working for a nonprofit.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my friends, my family, my significant other, Jack, and our new puppy, Rocco. We just moved into a new-to-us house in October, so I have been enjoying making our house a home.
