About Life's Crossroads
Our Mission
We are a nonprofit 501c3 organization taking a unique approach to help individuals improve their mental health while also protecting and sustaining the environment through the maintenance and restoration of the honey bee and other pollinators.
According to the USDA, one in every three bites of food you consume originates from a pollinator – largely, the honey bee – yet habitat loss, disease, and pesticides have led to a severe decline in pollinators in the United States. We’ve reached a crossroads between devastation and revitalization, and our environment needs your help.
Together, we will advocate for these small but essential creatures by encouraging our communities to play a role by planting one pollinator-friendly garden at a time. Only through education and personal action can we spread awareness and have a fighting chance to save the communities we love, the country we live in, and the world we share.
Our Team
Brent Olean
PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
Ashley Jones
SECRETARY
Donna Olean
TREASURER
Jacob E Pultorak
BOARD MEMBER
Our Story
I started Life’s Crossroads to provide a nontraditional pathway for others to liberate themselves from bondage both physically and mentally. After serving honorably for over 16 years in the U.S. Armed Forces, I felt compelled to help my fellow veterans. Many times, veterans come home to find themselves lost in the mix of the chaos commonly known as “civilian life.” The very people that have given us the ability to sleep safely at night too often get lost in the cracks of life. Many of my brothers and sisters in the Armed Forces fall into the abyss of depression and have no hope or desire to live. Tragically, some find suicide to be the answer to the pain they feel. So, my family and I have taken a pledge to help those unable to find peace inside the at times unforgiving system in which they are tossed.
This tragic theme impacts not only our veterans but also civilians and much of today’s youth. I have dedicated my life to serving others as a clinical social worker, striving to instill hope in individuals, families, and communities -- hope that they can achieve a better today and a brighter tomorrow, find the ability to be loved and to love again, and to find a passion and a reason to press on each day.
Throughout my travels, including living abroad, what I have discovered is that we reside in a beautiful state within a glorious country. Living in Pennsylvania allows us to enjoy all four seasons, and if we embrace and educate ourselves, we can help them live on. As a child, my mother taught me to pet the bumblebee without fear and to never pick up a butterfly for fear of hindering its ability to fly from flower to flower. So, from a young age, I learned to appreciate these small creatures. My mother also tended to large flower and herb gardens. I regret to admit I did not value these as much due to being forced to weed them. Today, however, I have found peace and serenity while pulling the weeds away. For the record, dandelions are glorious flowers -- NOT weeds.
I am purely delighted to now take on the role of a beekeeper. As I become more aware of their endangerment due to habitat loss, I am joining others throughout our state and country in the fight for honey bees and pollinators to thrive. My family and I have a small orchard and plant gardens annually, using native pollinator-friendly plants to aid our honey bees and other pollinators in obtaining the proper sustenance to remain strong and vibrant.
In need of an outlet to share my passion with others, I took the next step to create Life’s Crossroads. My family and I started this collection of programs to help those in need of encouragement or a little more to find their own peace and reasons to press on. We have dedicated our remaining years on this fragile planet to give back so that future generations can also enjoy the magnificence of pollinators.
Brent
Life’s Crossroads President