KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Benson is a Marine Corps veteran and a former firefighter paramedic, whose past trauma and PTSD led him to substance abuse.
At a young age, he began using alcohol and meth heavily.
“I just wanted to escape reality,” said Benson. “At first it was just a way for me to shut my brain down from all the things that I could remember.”
It would eventually lead him to his lowest moment. The day after Thanksgiving in 2017, he was in a car accident that nearly took his life. He was badly injured and eventually had a partial leg amputation.
The back of his prosthetic leg bears the acronym USMC in yellow letters with the logo directly above.
“I woke up in a skilled nursing facility in February 2018,” said Benson. “I had been in a coma for three months. I had shattered both my legs.”
This was a turning point that eventually led him to discover a program called the Next Step, a nonprofit that gives scholarships to recovering addicts. Darcy Glidewell is the executive director.
“I always say we do not care about your past; we only care about your future,” said Glidewell.
The Next Step Program was founded in St. Louis in 2005 by a group of friends who saw a need in the recovery community for financial assistance for individuals who wanted to continue their education. Since then, they have given out over 900 scholarships totaling 2.3 million dollars.
“Our scholarship recipients do not typically return to their drug of choice,” said Glidewell. “They stay clean and sober because they’ve started something and completed something that they started.”
The program requires applicants to have one year of sobriety, a part-time job, be active in a 12-step recovery program, and be a resident of the area. Last year, the program expanded to Kansas City.
“We had I about believe 16, 15/16 people,” said Rodney Davis, Next Step KC board member. “We didn’t have as much money in Kansas City because it was the first year, who applied and successfully went to education.”
The scholarship helps pay for tuition and books directly to their school of choice. From an associate's degree to a PhD, or even a trade or certification, the options are endless. But for Patrick, he’s looking to help others who are in the same spot he once was.
“Serve other people and maybe make a difference in this world while I’m here,” said Benson. “For someone to trust me enough to give me money to go to school and pursue that dream was unbelievable.”
Even felons can apply because they believe everyone deserves a second chance; which is why the program exists.
“Education is empowering,” said Glidewell. “We believe education is one of the best ways to rise above addiction. People look at themselves differently in the mirror. It changes the entire trajectory of their life.”
Applications for the program are open from Dec. 1 to April 1.
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