EvenMORE For You

Spotlight on 2 Returning Team Members

Boomeranging Made them Better

Kelly Fogel and Brandy White Bleed Green

They live in different cities on opposite sides of Ohio. They have very different personal histories at Crossroads and their professional backgrounds have little in common.

But one experience NEO Provider Relations Representative Kelly Fogel and Dayton Registration Representative Brandy White have in common is that they left their professional roles at Crossroads for a period of time but were then rehired. 

Kelly returned to her original role in Provider Relations. Brandy returned as a Hospice Aide and was recently promoted into the new role of Registration Representative. 

In human resources speak Kelly and Brandy are known as “boomerang” employees, individuals who leave a company and return as rehires. While the concept was once frowned upon at Crossroads and many other organizations, it’s now welcome, with good reason.  

Team members who leave and return come back with new skills and ideas, as well an appreciation for Crossroads’ culture and commitment to patients receiving end-of-life care.

Kelly Fogel is on her Game for Crossroads

After owning her own Art Gallery for six years and before that enjoying a rich variety of professional business and managerial roles, Kelly joined Crossroads in NEO 10 years ago. She left for 15 months and has been back for nine.

When she was away, Kelly realized how much she enjoyed Crossroads’ “family atmosphere” and how she “missed the NEO Crossroads site as whole.” Kelly explained, “I also feel genuinely supported and heard by upper management, which is an important ingredient for success and satisfaction in any workplace.”

Kelly appreciates the relationships she has built with her many referral sources. They missed regularly seeing Kelly in her multitude of green outfits when she was away and they told her that. 

Kelly is also a strong ambassador in the community while leveraging her entrepreneurial skills for Crossroads. Mostly Kelly believes in Crossroads “wholeheartedly. We do the right thing for the right reason.” Crossroads extends so much love through its unwavering care at a very fragile time for families.

Kelly is also a “trusted ally” on her team, picking up medical supplies when necessary and assisting with operations when needed. And when it comes to getting together to blow off some steam, Kelly is a driving force behind regular team building meetups. “This is really needed,” she said remembering recent successful bowling and pontoon boat outings.

Brandy White is Cherished by Families 

Brandy White joined Crossroads in Dayton as a Hospice Aide in 2019 but left in 2022 due to pressures of the COVID-19 era associated with having a young child at home learning online. 

Moving to San Antonio, Texas briefly she joined a national hospice company where she worked full time at night. Brandy was able to transfer back to Dayton when she decided to return.

Not really loving this other company Brandy was thrilled when she was able to return to Crossroads as a Hospice Aide in 2023 after running into a team member decked out in green scrubs at the nail salon. But then in March of this year she broke her foot and was unable to work. 

In April Perry Farmer and other company leaders came to Dayton and asked her to return to Crossroads in the new role of Registration Representative, a key function of the new Central Referral Office.

The Registration Representative supports Assessment Nurses in their delivery of patient care and executes the necessary paperwork to place a patient on hospice care while educating families and referral sources on the benefits of hospice care.

“In hospice care there is so much love and compassion,” Brandy said, acknowledging her 26 years as a Hospice Aide. “You can feel the love here. Work doesn’t go unnoticed. We love to work here and help care for patients. It warms my heart” to know Crossroads is making a difference. 

Like Kelly in NEO, Brandy is well known in her Dayton community from her years as a Hospice Aide where her loving end-of-life care impacted so many families. She admitted, “families love me” and she feels their appreciation when she sees them in the grocery store or anywhere around town. This is very rewarding.

Boomerang employees accounted for 35 percent of all new hires in March 2025, according to data from payroll company ADP, up from 31 percent a year earlier.

Life’s journey takes many different roads. We couldn’t be happier that Kelly’s and Brandy’s roads led back to Crossroads. We wish them continued success and happiness as they continue to contribute and grow.

How to De-Stress During the Holidays

By Emily Hammer
The holidays can be a hectic time of year, especially in our line of work. Sometimes we may not be aware that we’ve reached a stress boiling point. So, what actions can we take to mitigate stress in our lives?

Choose something from the list below and consider scheduling it on your calendar (I’m more likely to follow through if it’s on my calendar). Ask for help, include your family, friends, and coworkers in this effort as it will benefit them too.

What can we do to relax?

• Meditation – Research says that just 2 months of meditation is enough to rewire your brain in ways that encourage greater focus, emotional control, and thoughtful decision making. Consistency is key. Start with a few minutes daily and see what happens.
• Exercise – Movement has long been touted as a stress reliever. Find some type of exercise you enjoy. If you’re having fun, you’re more likely to stick with it. Even better, bring a friend along for extra accountability.
• Visit your doctor – Stress could be making you physically sick. Our medical insurance allows 1 covered wellness visit per year. Don’t skip it.
• Help other people – Nothing makes the heart feel better than to help someone else. Of course, there’s a balance for everything. Even this can be overdone.
• Love on your pets – Sign me up! I’m happiest when I’ve got a cat (or three) on my lap vying for my attention.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously – Life should be fun. We’re in charge of our own happiness. It requires intention, especially during tough times, but it’s ultimately my responsibility, not yours.
• Laugh! – It’s my favorite. Perhaps my favorite way to de-stress, tied with loving on my pets.

So, let’s de-stress. It’s within our power to create more health and happiness in our lives by not sweating the small stuff and dedicating some time to reducing stress. Ahhhhh.

Spotlight on NEO SSD Kenna Peterson, MSW, LSW

Going Above and Beyond for Crossroads

Kenna Peterson, MSW, LSW began her career and spent many years working with children and families both in the state of Ohio social service system and for a private children’s services and foster care agency. She even worked briefly in a hospital emergency room. 

Now she channels all of that experience on behalf of Crossroads in Northeast Ohio, which she joined nearly five years ago. As NEO Support Services Director (SSD,) she has firmly found her place at the top of a large organization that includes more than 30 social workers, chaplains, volunteer managers and bereavement coordinators. 

“The SSD leads the teams who play a key role in ensuring the well-being of patients and their families by attending to their psychosocial needs,” Kenna explained. “Our support services are delivered while working closely with the clinical teams who are attending to a patient’s comfort and physical needs.”

Kenna said working at Crossroads is “very rewarding.” The population Crossroads serves is “more accepting of social work. Social work services are valued.”

It’s a Perfect Fit!

Being an SSD is a “perfect fit’ for Kenna because she can share what she’s learned through years of on-the-job experience while learning so much herself from her team every day.

Kenna said when you go into social work, it’s because you want to help people. Even at a young age she had a natural instinct for where help was needed. Kenna mentioned trying to help kids she knew were hungry by inviting them to her home for a meal.

What’s great about working at Crossroads is that “going above and beyond” for patients is part of the company culture, Kenna said. This is the opposite of working in the child welfare system where there are so many restrictions.

While Kenna is the leader of a very large team and she’s mostly based in the office, she never regrets finding herself filling in and performing one-on-one social work duties in the field. She loves that about her job. “I still get a chance to advocate for patients and families,” she said.

When Kenna’s not at work she enjoys spending time with her blended family of five kids, “he has three girls and I have two boys,” and 10 grandkids. She loves crafting and is currently crocheting a sweater when not riding her CAN-AM motorcycle.

Kenna’s career in social work began after completion of an associate’s degree in 1993. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 2012 and a master’s degree in 2021. It’s been a 27-year social work career, but Kenna’s journey is far from over. She still has so much to give and so much to learn. Crossroads is very lucky to have Kenna in the SSD role in NEO!