11 minute read
Empowerment Through Education
Josh Benk partners with The Foundation For a Drug-Free World to bring life-changing education to the Georgia State Safety Department and the NFL
As the director for the southeastern region of the US Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Josh Benk (class of 2004) is the go-to guy when it comes to troubleshooting problems, organizing events, or coordinating educational activities. This skill has helped him run promotional campaigns at five Super Bowls, made him an important member of the Police Chiefs Association for the state of Georgia, and earned him a gold-level Presidential Volunteer Service Award. He has done all of this while managing a successful dental practice in Atlanta for the last ten years.
As a Delphian student, Josh honed his skills when he was called upon to troubleshoot student council problems, help organize the Business Seminar field trip to Los Angeles, or complete the summer internship program. In our interview, Josh shares how his Delphian education helps him succeed.
Delphian Magazine: What led to you getting involved in promoting drug awareness in your community?
Josh Benk: The problem with drug addiction was alarmingly obvious when I took over managing my dad’s dental office. Every week we would get calls requesting painkiller prescription refills from individuals who had never been to our office. This is an industry-wide problem that most doctors and professionals in the medical field can relate to.
I initially took over running the dental office when my father passed away unexpectedly in 2014. It was a tough time, and there were many things to figure out quickly. I stepped in and took on all his responsibilities at the practice, which included picking up where he left off in his pursuit to increase drug education in the community.
When he passed, he had been working with the authorities to get a drug education program established in the area. He had been looking for opportunities to connect with elected officials in decision-making positions.
DM: Can you tell us about the educational program you use?
JB: I use a program from a nonprofit called The Foundation for a Drug-Free World, whose purpose is to empower youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and ultimately live drug-free. There is a lot of misinformation out there about drugs, and the foundation provides all the necessary information to start a Truth About Drugs education activity, creating a straightforward approach to doing something about drugs.
DM: How did you get started?
JB: I was in the clinic when one of my father’s former patients came in for a follow-up appointment. She was the press secretary to the governor of Georgia at the time, and we got to talking. As it turned out, the two of them had been talking about setting up an appointment for my father to meet with the governor to discuss the foundation’s drug education program. To honor my father’s memory, she promised to help me bring effective drug education to Georgia.
A short time later I found myself at the Georgia State Capitol building, meeting with Governor Nathan Deal’s office and cabinet members. This meeting led to meetings with the governor’s advisors on public safety, health, and education—all of whom were impressed by the program.
One thing led to another, and I was invited to present at a conference for the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.
Fast forward to the present, and I’d estimate that about 95% of the 560 police chiefs in the state have studied and continue to use the drug education program. In addition, organizations with their own police agencies, such as the Atlanta public transportation system, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Georgia State University, also use the program. I work with all of them.
I am also an official member of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, going on ten years now, and I present at their conferences twice a year.
DM: How did working with the Georgia Department of Public Safety transition to working with the National Football League?
JB: It was 2019, and Atlanta was the location of the NFL Super Bowl LIII championship game between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams.
The Drug Free World foundation’s international office planned for this Super Bowl to be a huge promotional event featuring the newly appointed official Drug-Free World spokesperson, Marshall Faulk. Marshall Faulk is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time, having played twelve seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams. He was also named Most Valuable Player by the NFL in 2000, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011, and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
I got involved when the international office of the foundation reached out to me for local help coordinating logistics for the event.
DM: How did that turn out?
JB: It went really well! It was at that Super Bowl that I became one of the key volunteers for NFL events, and I have been helping with the last five Super Bowls, including this last one in Las Vegas, where I helped to organize around 200 volunteers for the event—coordinating logistics, booklet distribution, troubleshooting challenges, etc.
DM: What enabled you to succeed in this situation?
JB: My success with getting this drug education program into the NFL isn’t based on overwhelming knowledge or a history in sports.
I attribute my success and ability to be effective in life to the education I received at Delphian, which has provided a foundational background for my success.
M: Can you describe what foundational skills you received through your education?
JB: I’m a very good troubleshooter. I remember becoming aware of this skill when I was finishing Form 7, working with Paula Horton, and she validated my ability to research, evaluate, and think with information when teaching myself something new.
It’s a skill I developed from studying L. Ron Hubbard’s Study Technology™ and courses in logic at Delphian, which taught critical thinking and how to evaluate information for its usefulness.
As a Form 7 student I was asked to troubleshoot some problems in the Rec Room. I was told something like, “We need someone to take over the Rec Room. It’s a disaster—losing money left, right, and center. We want you to be in charge of it because we think you can turn it around.”
I remember it being presented as a real challenge. I picked a team of students to help me, and we did turn the place around. It turned out to be a really cool experience.
I find myself constantly looking back at that moment with Paula. I appreciate the validation of those skills and then the Rec Room project that helped me affirm those skills.
I would never have thought that the ability to research and learn quickly was something to “be good at,” but it has propelled and prepared me for a long future of getting to the bottom of anything—and to do it with a high level of confidence.
What this has really translated to is problem-solving abilities. I can research, digest and reconfigure information into solutions.
So I’m still that guy, using the skills I learned at Delphian to troubleshoot and handle problems. This skill enabled me to research, learn, and build a strong understanding of the inner workings of the NFL, which has allowed me to move quickly as I meet with VIPs and officials who evaluate the implementation of educational programs. It’s earned me the responsibility of being the director for the southeastern region of the US Foundation for a Drug-Free World.
DM: What events do you work on beyond the Super Bowl?
JB: We have also started attending the NFL draft events to work on building relationships with up-and-coming players. This led to attending the free summer NFL youth camps alongside the professional players. They’re there to teach them about football, and we’re there to teach them the truth about the harmful effects of drugs.
At one of these events, I was put on the spot to speak in front of 700 people I didn’t know and who didn’t know about the program. My lead time to prepare for this speech was about five minutes when someone told me before, “So you’re up next. I’m going to say hi to everyone, and then you can go on and explain the drug education program.”
DM: How did you manage to stay composed?
JB: Rather than choking, I called on the public speaking skills I learned at Delphian and my ability to work through problems and find solutions as mentioned earlier.
I remember specifically there being an exercise in the Form 8 public speaking course where another student’s job was randomly selecting a subject, and I had to make an impromptu speech about it. We repeated this exercise until I was good at it.
There are a lot of examples of being challenged and having the opportunity to practice a skill like this when I was a student at Delphian. In all aspects of the program—seminars, essays, projects, student council, or even just daily academic check-ins with my supervisor, faculty would offer advice and encouragement to think outside the box, but we were challenged to come up with the solutions.
These experiences made me a person who can dynamically operate wherever I am and figure things out, and here I am years later with a very successful dental practice. I’m not a dentist, but I employ and manage a staff of twenty, including three doctors and three hygienists, and we see a thousand patients a month—with time to devote to volunteering to help a good cause, take care of my family, and raise my two daughters.
DM: What is the best way for the Delphian community to get involved or offer help with your endeavors with the foundation?
JB: Finding enough volunteers for big events has proven to be my biggest problem, and I need to solve it consistently. One of the big barriers many volunteers face when doing one of these events is that professional athletes can be intimidating, especially when you need to explain the program to them and direct them to take action.
It takes some confront, strong communication skills, and an excellent ability to manage a situation—skills that Delphian graduates have. I’d be thrilled to have more alumni on my team.
If you’d like to volunteer, you can reach me directly at jbenk@drugfreeworld.org.DM: What is the best way for the Delphian community to get involved or offer help with your endeavors with the foundation?
