Meet Community Engagement Coordinator Erin Fisher
Community Engagement Coordinator Erin Fisher talks to an interested community member at an event at the Harvey Gantt Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Get to know Community Engagement Coordinator Erin Fisher! Erin joined Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte in September 2023. In her role as community engagement coordinator, Erin manages volunteers and connects the organization to all the communities we serve in Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Mecklenburg, and Union counties.
How would you describe what you do for RTGC?
I manage the volunteer program, connect our organization with the Greater Charlotte community, and represent RTGC at events to promote awareness about our programs and housing equity issues.
What tool are you?
I am a rotary tool because I have a lot of random skills, interests, and talents that are not super apparent when I first meet someone. I am very adaptable and can solve problems with a unique perspective.
What does “home” mean to you?
My home is a place I can relax, stay organized, feel safe, be creative, and make memories with my family. I also really enjoy gardening and terrariums and bringing the outdoors indoors by growing plants and keeping a collection of exotic animals as pets.
What do you enjoy most about working for RTGC?
I like feeling like the work we do has a real and beneficial impact on people's lives. Being able to help people is very satisfying. We also have a great team that has so many different areas of expertise, interests, and hobbies, so it is a fun place to work!
What’s your favorite thing to do in the Greater Charlotte area?
Charlotte is a great place for my family because we like a little bit of everything. I love that you can go from an Uptown urban experience to a rural farmland in less than an hour, and being located in the Piedmont about three hours from the beach and two hours from the mountains for quick getaways is awesome. I really enjoy being outdoors and immersed in nature, and there are plenty of green spaces and nature preserves in our area, and my husband is more of a city, arts, and entertainment kind of person, so this is the perfect city for us.
What podcast do you recommend?
I really enjoy JVN's podcast "Getting Curious" because Jonathan Van Ness is so relatable and will totally make you feel okay for not knowing about an obscure subject while also sharing the joy of learning something brand new, and the topics range so widely. My favorite episodes are in-depth explorations of the history of ice in Hawaii, whales, and money management. Truly something for everyone. I also love "This Podcast Will Kill You" to learn more about epidemiology, and the first podcast I ever listened to, "My Favorite Murder", will always hold a special place in my heart, though it has evolved past its true crime beginnings and I listen now because I enjoy the hosts more than the content.
What are some of your favorite hobbies?
My main hobby is beekeeping, and I got certified as a beekeeper in 2019 after taking classes and passing an exam. I also love drawing, painting, writing, volunteering where I can for various animal/environmental nonprofits, and swimming with my mermaid friends. My favorite part of that, besides the exercise, is being their photographer/videographer underwater, and their hype girl.
Why do you think people should get involved with RTGC?
What initially drew me to the work of Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte was the need I witnessed as a long-time resident. My family moved here in 2012, and we have seen the gentrification of many of the neighborhoods we lived in as renters. After we were financially blessed enough to be able to purchase a home, the Charlotte’s gentrification problem has only intensified. I am also an environmentalist, and seeing old houses torn down to be replaced by new ones is a massive drain on our natural resources, so the appeal of doing critical repairs and maintaining a family in a home was very obvious from that perspective also. I've enjoyed managing volunteers and representing past employers at community events, so this role seemed to bring together my previous experiences in a meaningful way. I believe we offer people a unique opportunity to do good work at the ground level with our neighbors in need, with an immediate and visible impact.
Would you like to learn more about the staff members who help provide safe and healthy homes for neighbors in need? Meet our team to see the various ways RTGC staff supports critical repair projects at no-cost to homeowners in the Greater Charlotte area.