If you know Alisa Pifine, then you probably already know that her favorite color is pink, she enjoys crafting as a hobby, and that she has far too many cats. 

Currently the director of Language Services, Alisa came to Catholic Charities in 2017 after she was laid off from her marketing position at a small Indiana credit union. She had worked with several credit unions for 23 years and “felt completely lost” to have exited the industry. A friend sent her resume to Catholic Charities without Alisa’s knowledge, and Alisa landed a job with Language Services even though “I only spoke a little Spanish and didn’t know much more about what I was being hired to do.” But her bosses “treated me like they saw potential I couldn’t see,” she said, “like I had a lot to offer.”

Alisa said she was shaking her head over the lack of training she received, the condition of the 2911 building, and the fact that she wasn’t making enough money. But “the people and the nature of the work—the mission—soon made it clear that none of that was a big deal.” She said she realized early on that as long as her heart was in the right place, learning what she needed for the job came easily and quickly.

It’s a good thing, too. Six months after she started her new job the program director resigned, and Alisa was promoted to the position.

Today, she said, she is “called to be here.” In fact, she’s convinced that everyone at Catholic Charities was called to be here. “We are all called to use our talents to benefit others and that’s exactly what we can do here.”

Alisa is pretty sure she has other callings too, including animal rescue. Over the 25 years she’s been married she and her family have rescued 17 cats, three dogs, five birds, and one mouse. Right now, they share their home with (only) eight cats and one dog. Alisa considers herself and her family “foster failures.” 

“We just can’t say ‘no’ to strays.  We always think we can re-home them, but it never works.”  Since she and her family are trying NOT to take in more animals, Alisa hopes her actions will inspire others to consider animal adoption and spay/neuter their pets. 

In addition to cats and crafts, Alisa is an orchid enthusiast and loves gardening in general.