Jessica Hall
Director of Communications & Development , HospiceCare
KRISTEN UPPERCUE TRACY A . TOLER PHOTOGRAPHY
Hall spends time in the Oglebay Stables .
Jessica Hall , director of communications and development at HospiceCare , has always had a love of adventure .
“ Even as a child , I was eager to explore — sleep away camps , international trips with the choir , weeks away with relatives — I loved taking in new experiences , meeting new people and , above all , creating memories ,” Hall says .
That love of adventure is why Hall never felt called to a particular career , but knew she wanted to do something that has a positive impact on people .
Hall attended Denison University for her undergraduate studies with a communications major and then Georgetown University to pursue a master ’ s degree focused on political communication . She later worked for Charles Ryan Associates ( CRA ), a public relations and advertising agency .
“ It was a perfect fit — hitting both the office life and the creative , fun spirit I had ,” Hall says . “ Working at CRA taught me so much about the communications industry in a really fun atmosphere .”
Hall now manages communications for HospiceCare , West Virginia ’ s largest and longest-serving nonprofit hospice , palliative and bereavement care provider .
“ Hospice has played such an important role in my life personally that when the opportunity arose to work to spread the word on how amazing HospiceCare is , I jumped at it ,” Hall says .
She also serves as the executive director of the Hospice Council of West Virginia , where she is an advocate for all the hospices in the state on both the state and national level .
“ What I love most about these positions is that they allow me to be a cheerleader for the amazing benefits of hospice ,” Hall says . “ So many people have misconceptions about what hospice is , how it works and who can benefit from it , and I have the opportunity to educate legislators , community members and health care partners on what a gift hospice truly is to patients and families . There isn ’ t a single day that goes by where someone doesn ’ t approach me to tell me how important hospice has been to their family .”
Hall also serves on the Kanawha- Charleston Humane Association ’ s board of directors and the Partners in Health Network Grant Committee and volunteers with the Friends of Clay group . Additionally , it ’ s important to her to donate blood every eight weeks , and she has previously donated her hair to supply wigs for children and adults who have lost their hair due to illness or treatment .
“ Giving of myself and my time is such an easy way for me to make connections with my community and be of service — no matter how small that service may be ,” Hall says .
Hall is a spin instructor at Zenergy Cycling , which gives her the opportunity to work with community partners and identify local charities for charity rides . She previously served on the board of directors for the Appalachian Children ’ s Chorus as the marketing chair .
She loves working in West Virginia because she knows the work she does positively impacts the wonderful people in this state .
“ I have had the opportunity to travel to many places ; I have lived in many cities and even other countries and the people of West Virginia always stand out to me ,” she says . “ I have lost count of the number of times someone has gone out of their way to make me or someone I know feel welcome and cared for .” •
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ?
movie :
“ Gladiator ”
ice cream :
Raspberry chocolate chip from Ellen ' s
app :
Libby
west virginia location :
Kate ' s Mountain
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