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Group 401

Share Your Service: Meet David!

David Benson Headshot

Horizon’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Council was established in 2014 to develop, implement and promote its cultural philosophies in treatment, among staff and within the community. Throughout the years, the Council has passionately worked towards bringing forth additional resources, best practices, approaches, and training for everyone at Horizon and our community as a whole. To recognize and best understand the work of the Council, we decided to highlight Council members through “Share Your Service” features – meet David!

Meet David

Why did you choose Horizon?
I was working as a Store Manager at Starbucks before coming to Horizon. I had recently gone back to school to get my CASAC-T, and learned about Horizon through the other students in my class. I had started to research the company and learned so much about the impact that Horizon had on the community when we first opened, and I wanted to be a part of the continued growth of a community resource.

What is your role at Horizon?
Currently, I am the Operations Trainer, in which I facilitate the onboarding and training process for new hire direct-care staff (Treatment Assistants). When I started at Horizon, however, I applied for a part-time overnight position to get my feet wet. I was offered a full-time day position, quickly learned of my passion for the company, and was promoted to Senior TA. I was in those roles for about 2 years before being promoted to Operations Trainer.

How long have you worked here?
I have worked for Horizon just under 5 years. My 5 year mark will be on November 3rd, 2021. So much has changed in the company since I started 5 years ago, but I continue to celebrate the amount of dedication we continue to hold to serve our community to the best of our ability.

What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day for me at Horizon is not what someone may expect – even myself! Every day is TRULY different. Some days, I spend my entire day going from building to building observing, connecting, and teaching the staff within the locations I work with. Other days, I spend my entire day in meetings, while sometimes I get to spend time at our headquarters teaching a class, developing skills, or meeting with other teammates at Horizon.

How long have you served on the DEIB Council and which subcommittee are you in?
I started with the DEIB Council in January of 2019 with the Community subcommittee. Not unlike the love that I share for building relationships and the love I have for Horizon to serve our communities – I now get to play a major role in our presence in the community, share the kinds of work that we do – but also do field work to show that no matter who you are, you’re worth “it”, you’re validated, you’re strong, and you’re you!

What inspired you to join the Council?
Growing up I didn’t fit in with the kids at school, I was never the jock, the outcast, the musically inclined – I was living in a world where I didn’t know how I fit. It was not until I started embracing who I was – top to bottom – that I became a huge advocate for myself, and others, to show their true colors. Sometimes society places incredible pressure on people to be “something” – instead of being themselves – and I have been able to use my time on Horizon’s DEIB Council, as well as my time on the DEIB Council at my old company, to help celebrate HUMANS.

What is one value of Horizon’s Stronger Together Culture that you value most?Stronger Together Horizon
I’ve always described Horizon as a network of “cogs.” Each cog moves another cog, and so on. Every single person at Horizon influences our community – the message we deliver to our patients, and more. We may not all be “activated” at the same time, but when it comes to be our time – we can make HUGE change in someone’s life – because we have the support, knowledge, and more, from those who have worked with the patient before us.

What gives you a sense of belonging at Horizon?
I know that every single day I walk in, I can be myself. I don’t need to cover my tattoos, or take out my piercings. I look around at the people I work with every day and it makes me smile knowing that it is not the tattoo, piercing, hair color, the way someone dresses, etc., that shows their worth. We each bring such a unique perspective to the table and genuinely learn and grow from each other every single day.

We’re grateful for David’s contributions, ideas, and perspectives on making Horizon a more inclusive and equitable workplace and his work with our DEIB Council.

Learn more about Horizon’s DEIB Council, and please contact us with any questions about our DEIB initiatives.

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