A Family Affair: The Hickman’s Uplifting Story of Mother-Daughter Collaboration

March 19, 2024

Part of the “It’s a Family Affair at The Hickman” Series

Read part one here.

It’s rare to come across a workplace you adore so much that you feel compelled to encourage your friends and loved ones to join. Its family atmosphere is so pervasive that employees urge relatives to interview for open positions. Pairs of parents, children, sisters, aunts, nieces, and grandchildren are represented across nearly every department at The Hickman—a testament to just how much working at The Hickman not only feels like family but is family. Now we turn the spotlight onto a second of these The Hickman family units, Monica Nearey and her daughter Erin.

Monica’s role at The Hickman has evolved throughout her time here. She began as an Infection Preventionist at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, assisting Executive Director Toni Kelly in interpreting national, state, and local public health guidance. As the situation improved, she found her current role within the Advancement department. Coincidentally, Monica and her husband recently decided to downsize and relocate to West Chester upon her husband’s transition into retirement, bringing with them their daughter Erin.

Erin was searching for a job, and since Monica loved working at The Hickman so much, she didn’t hesitate to refer Erin to Director of Culinary and Nutritional Services Rodney Sykes when she learned he was recruiting kitchen staff and servers. Erin applied, interviewed, completed orientation, and came aboard happily.

Erin immediately found herself at ease in the dining department. As someone frequently tasked with duties in the memory care neighborhood at The Hickman, she has cultivated a deep affection for its residents; engaging with them has become a highlight of her daily work routine.

When asked about their experience working together at The Hickman, Monica and Erin discuss how their collaboration extends beyond their respective departments, benefitting the wider community. Erin put her artistic talents to work designing props for The Hickman’s “Island of Misfit Toys” theme in the 2023 West Chester Christmas Parade. This role placed her working alongside her mom and her colleagues. For this mother-daughter team and many others, The Hickman family has become an extension of their own family—a place to serve in an empathetic, welcoming, and nurturing atmosphere.