The future is very bright at Emerge

Welcoming the new outreach intake coordinator at Emerge

Longtime member of recovery community joins mission at Emerge

When Mandy Adkins first toured the Emerge campus in October of 2022, she said it gave her chills seeing the potential the place held — even then in its infancy.

“When I first saw the place, I was very intrigued,” Adkins said. “I had chills all over my body. I knew what kind of impact we were going to have on the community.”

Adkins, a long-time friend of Nathan Crago, said that Crago invited her to tour the place before the men’s space opened.

“He explained the workforce development program and how the organization would be partnering with employers,” she said. “I’ve known Nate for years. My brothers went through the Christopher House. I met him 15 years ago through his work in the recovery community. He gave me a tour of Emerge. He shared the vision and the dream. At the end of that encounter, I told him I was interested in working here if anything ever opens. Everything was still under construction, so I threw that out there to let him know.”

Born and raised in Fairborn, Adkins said she has been in the behavior health field for six years. She previously worked at Ethan’s Crossing in Springfield; she said it was almost exactly one year later to the day when Nate called her again about Emerge.

“In October of 2023, almost a year to the day, Nate reached out to me again and said he would like for me to come out again,” she said. “He gave me a tour. I knew Emerge was hiring an outpatient counselor at that time. By the end of that conversation, he asked if I was interested in coming over to create the position for community liaison. I came onto the team in December.”

Joining the team at Emerge, she said, has been an honor.

“Today, I am so excited to be employed at Emerge,” Adkins said. “I am the community liaison; I am humbled and honored to be a part of this. Emerge is one of a kind. We cover all eight dimensions of wellness, right there on one property – making the connections for social, occupational, community, environmental, spiritual and emotional well–being.”

Adkins said she loves how Emerge is an adult campus for people in recovery with internship programs.

“We operate like an adult campus,” she said. “Clients are not in a bubble like they would be in treatment. They get a sense of freedom. They can be independent and responsible. Emerge shows that we can all co-exist together. I think that’s what we are showing to the community, which helps smash some of that stigma.”

Since starting in her new role, Adkins said it has been incredible. 

“I love the fact that we have such a healthy culture on the team,” she said. “I love the fact that the team is very family oriented. I would also say the energy in general is great. When I bring community partners to the campus, everyone on site is very hospitable. The people who tour – eight out of ten times – run into someone they know at Emerge. There have been so many ‘aha moments,’ which brings me peace and knowing that we are right where we are supposed to be, that these things are happening exactly like they are supposed to.”

Adkins said everyone at Emerge just wants to provide quality care for the clients and the community. She says her position has her out working in the community almost daily.

“I’m on the road a lot, so I have an office in my vehicle, but I am also on site when I tour somewhere else,” she said. “I bounce back and forth. It’s a remote hybrid. I love it. I feel so much more productive. I am relentless when it comes to networking and sharing the vision and dream of Emerge with these community partners. I believe wholeheartedly in what we are doing over there, and I get to share that passionately. It’s very humbling. I’ve been able to get Emerge into the drug courts in Clark and Clinton Counties. We are also an approved facility from the Columbus Region of Adult Parole Authority, in addition to the Dayton Region of Adult Parole Authority. We attend the re-entry events for Miami, Clark and Montgomery counties. We’ve also presented our program to the Greene County Greene Leaf Programs.”

In the future, Adkins said she only sees Emerge growing. 

“The sky is the limit,” she said. “We are growing beautifully in the direction we need to … The fact that we are a startup company that hasn’t been opened for a year is truly amazing. The future is very bright for Emerge!”