After working as a Child Protective Services and Foster Care Social Worker for years, I was ready for a change of pace. I had been looking for a new position for a while, but nothing seemed to work out. That is, until the Community Engagement Position found me. I had honestly given up on finding a new position and was searching for a location to host a foster parent training when I encountered the open position of Community Engagement Coordinator in Cynthiana. I can remember that jolt of excitement very well! Once home that day, I quickly updated my resume and applied. I knew I would enjoy this position as it would be working in the same areas I was currently working in, doing very similar activities: community outreach, recruitment, training, and onboarding. I had also known from many people within the community and from those in my personal life that Bluegrass Care Navigators had an excellent reputation as a spectacular employer. I was called in for an interview and found the process to be so smooth, and the interview was the happiest and most personal I have ever experienced - a sure sign this was where I needed to be.

In January of 2019, I started my career with Bluegrass Care Navigators as the Cynthiana Region’s Community Engagement Coordinator and was welcomed into the BCN family. I got to know the Cynthiana staff and volunteers, many of whom I grew very close to. In my past work experiences, I have met very passionate people, a characteristic very common in social workers, but the passion in the staff and volunteers of BCN is completely different. It is difficult to explain, but once you see them in action you know exactly what I am talking about! The team at this office seem to wrap you up in a hug (even if virtually), the office is very much its own little, small town or tight knit family that’s there to support you whenever you need it.

I also got to know the team of Community Engagement Coordinators and gained a sisterhood I never expected! It has always struck me how people who live across the state and work in varying cultures can understand each other so well, yet we did. I’ve been told that the CEC’s can make anything happen, and after working with them and feeling their encouragement and drive daily, I can certainly attest to this. Working with them has helped me grow as an employee, but also as a parent, a wife, and a person.

In May of 2022, my husband received a remarkable opportunity that would move our family 600 miles away and within a 20-minute drive to the beaches of South Carolina, which just so happens to be our most favorite place on Earth. This move had been a dream goal of ours, but one that we did not expect to occur until we were ready to retire. But one thing I have learned over the years is that when God gives you a door, you take that leap of faith and open it!

One piece of this move I hadn’t expected was my emotions about leaving my position as CEC. For the first time in my life, I typed a resignation letter in tears. It hurt my heart to hit send, but I had to make my sacrifices to make my family’s dream happen. Having to submit a resignation letter did not deter my determination to stay with BCN, however. I knew in my heart I was not done here and knew that I wanted to find way to stay! I proposed opportunities to work from home for the CEC team, I scoured our website for new position postings, but none of it was what I needed - fully remote, so I could work from home in South Carolina.

Yet again, I was ready to give up on the search and because my move in date was creeping up on me, I began submitting applications for work in South Carolina. The very next day, I decided to look at the BCN job postings one more time and was floored when I found a FULLY REMOTE position with the Support Center’s Intake Team. AND- I was qualified for it! Not only that, but it sounded like a lot of fun and brought together many skills I had gained throughout all my work history as a CEC, social worker, and even as a bank teller. I applied, interviewed, and ultimately accepted the position of Intake Specialist I only 3 days before my last day as CEC and only a week before our big move in date. There is no better way I can explain it other than to say, God provided a way. I am now a month into my new role and am positive it was the right decision!

Working with a hospice organization is something I desired to do while in school to be a social worker. I feel as though I have come full circle now and cannot imagine working for a better organization or mission. While creating a Volunteer Newsletter as a CEC, I encountered a beautiful quote, by an unknown author: “Everyone wants to be the sun to lighten up everyone’s life, but why not be the moon, to brighten in the darkest hour.” BCN staff & volunteers are the moon.