Ashley Church-Crawford’s passion for capturing moments in time stems back to childhood.
“I’ve always been fascinated by photography. I used to ride my bike to Zehrs to develop my film when I was a kid. As I got older, it became something that I wanted to pursue more,” she says.
Ashley is now the Site Logistics Coordinator at South Kent Wind in Haldimand County. She previously worked for the Children’s Aid Society and the United Way.
“A major component of my job is inventory, such as ordering parts, shipping, receiving, warehouse management, service agreements, task orders, purchase orders, and office equipment ordering. It’s a lot of administrative work, but it’s amazing,” she says.
Capturing Community
In 2019, Ashley’s love for photography merged with her new job at Pattern Energy, capturing an imageof a landowner’s property while their sunflower field was in full bloom.
“It was cool because we got to use the wind turbines as a backdrop, and I got so many amazing shots at sunset,” she says.
Born and raised in Chatham-Kent, Ashley also has a passion for the local community.
“All of my friends and family are here. Like most people, that’s what has kept me here. I feel like a common question people my age get is ‘why did you move back?’ or ‘why stay here?’ but our community is so small and kind-hearted and generous,” Ashley says.
She says that generosity is also found in Pattern Energy’s sponsorship program, particularly with the South Kent Wind Community Fund.
“It’s cool that my love of living in Chatham-Kent for the kind hearts of the people also aligns well with Pattern Energy’s mission and drive,” she explains.
Special Moments in Time
Ashley enjoys entertaining friends and family, going on wine tours, and traveling on weekends. But when she’s not doing any of those things, she’s capturing milestones for families.
“It’s beautiful to see families grow right before my eyes. Newborn sessions are my favorite. I also love milestone moments like maternity, weddings, and families. But there’s something super special about capturing dads watching moms hold their babies and vice versa. It’s so special for them that I can be a small part of their best days,” Ashley says.
She’s been part of other big moments as well.
“When people pass away, they use the photosI took as an obituary photo. Or, when I’m hired to take graduation photos, and they appear in the newspaper. Each is amazing; it’s incredible to realize that I’ve captured some big moments in people’s lives. It’s rewarding,” Ashley says.
Overlapping Passions
While working for two sites and pursuing her love of photography and community keeps her busy, Ashley is pleased her passions can overlap.
“There’s a part of my heart that’s especially passionate about the community. That’s the cool part of working at Pattern Energy. We have the opportunity to do outreach, provide sponsorships, and research the community’s needs so we can find smaller organizations that may not be able to access other grants or sponsorships. It’s nice to have the opportunity to dig into the community investment part of this job, the same way I do with my community work at the United Way on the Board of Directors.”