Our Team
Natalie Edwards
Board President
Training Manager, American Cancer Society
Holly Winkler
Board Treasurer
Teaching Instructor, Leadership and Professional Development
ECU College of Business
Sondra Byrd
Secretary
Realtor/Broker, Keller Williams Realty-Points East
Sharon Alexander
Past President
Owner/Broker, Home at Last Realty Solutions
Pitt County Department of Social Services
Dr. Robert Chin
Professor, Department of Technology Systems ECU
Elaine Anderson
Century 21 Realty Group
Dee Hill
Employment Services Supervisor, Pitt County Department of Social Services
Tony Edwards
Owner/Manager, AG's Home Solutions, LLC
WHY WE SERVE
“As a real estate agent in my community for 31 years, I have always volunteered in some capacity with non-profits. In my day-to-day job I get a close-up look at our communities and those people that dwell within them. Having worked with our homeless community for a number of years I heard many stories of how occupants came to be there. I’ve had a long-time dream of finding a way to prevent homelessness…lofty as it is. Rebuilding Together has given me the opportunity to help lower-income families, seniors, handicapped, and veterans stay in their homes. Limited funds, aging homes, and often times health issues, constantly put pressure on the family and their precious dollars. It’s always a delight to me to visit with candidates and watch their initial skepticism (“Someone wants to repair my home for FREE?”) turn to possible hope (“I’ve been on lots of waiting lists; maybe this one is for real?”) and then to complete and utter elation over the finished job (commonly heard, “Praise God!”) My personal highlight with each project is getting to know our clients and hear their life-story. They are all compelling, i.e., school yard tales, first jobs, career paths, marriage, raising a family, loss of family members….memories in general kept alive by those that hold them dear. Our vendors and volunteers have all been great to work with. No matter their skill-level or experience they always show up with a smile, engage with our clients, and tackle whatever is before them. The finished jobs and lifelong friends made never cease to amaze me!”
- Elaine Anderson
"For me, and I believe the research findings tend to bear this out, owning a home epitomizes the promise of individual autonomy and is the ambition of most American households. Homeownership allows households to accumulate wealth and social status, and is the basis for a number of positive social, economic, family and civic outcomes. The research findings also suggest that homeownership boosts the educational performance of children, induces higher participation in civic and volunteering activity, improves health care outcomes, lowers crime rates, and lessens welfare dependency. The research findings also suggest that the majority of all US households who own their homes and the communities in which they reside are also reaping these benefits. Those residing in owned-homes, especially those who are barely subsisting because of minimal disposable income levels, must also feel warm, safe, and dry. And it is for these reasons and many more that RT exists and does what it does. "
-Bob Chin
"I started volunteering for Rebuilding Together in the spring of 2015 because I wanted to feel more connected to my community. After living in Greenville for four years, I still felt like a visitor. A sense of belonging, a sense of home was something I was missing. Home is almost a sacred word to me. Having a home where I can rest at the end of the day, be with my family, cook dinner, take a hot shower, and feel safe, is something I can’t imagine living without. Everyone deserves a home. Many of our neighbors in Pitt County, even though they own houses, do not have warm, safe and dry homes. The mission of Rebuilding Together is about more than helping individuals with home repairs. Our organization strengthens and builds our community by bringing volunteers together to rebuild and revitalize neighborhoods throughout Pitt County. With each home we restore, Pitt County becomes a better home for all of us."
-Holly Winkler