Career
My Journey to Success
Ebony Benberry is a child advocate, Violence intervention specialist, case manager, academic coach, and mentor. A former Warren Central High School graduate, she continued to work with Warren Township as an advisor. Her greatest passion is to heal and provide resources for at-risk youth with unfortunate circumstances. With her own past personal experiences healing from trauma and working with children, Ebony expanded into child advocacy advising, Social Emotional Learning support groups, and self-love empowerment groups for young girls in the community and college students at the University of Indianapolis. Since pursuing her Social Service degree and Liberal Arts degree at Ivy Tech and IUPUI, she has worked alongside Eskenazi Health Hospital, Department of Child Services, MSD Warren Township, Moorehead Community Resource Center, and Outreach Programs in the community as a family liaison, community outreach liaison, Violence Intervention Specialist, and academic coach. Mrs. Benberry is 1 out of 5 Certified Hosptial VPP (Violence Prevention/Intervention) Specialists in the state of Indiana.
VPP Specialist
December 2022, I decided to step out on faith and apply to a job at Eskenazi Health. During my interview I was informed about a youth violence reduction program. I decided to take the job and it is now my current position as a VPP Specialist. I have learned a lot and contributed to the program by connecting resources and helping youth turn their life around. Since Social Work is broad field, my job has helped my find my purpose in why I started this journey and what I want to do within my career. I knew by 8 years old I wanted to be a social worker. Growing up on the Eastside of Indianapolis, I always wanted to create programs for the community to improve the environment for the children. Prescription for Hope, based at Eskenazi Health, includes social workers, therapists and others who connect with patients and continue once they're discharged by helping them with mental health or drug treatment, education, employment and counseling. According to hospital data in 2021, before the program began, about 35% of gunshot victims returned within two years with another violent injury. Since then, the number has dropped to about 5%.
The Wright Foundation
I like to pride myself on being a human diary for young girls. I started this mentoring program in 2016. I was not lucky at first, but I wanted to create a safe place for young girls to use their voices and help them navigate through the tough teen years. I started the program back up in 2021 and it has been great. From experience as a woman, the younger years are harder to navigate. I want the girls to know I too had a difficult time during middle school, high school, and young adult years, but that's what help you grow and mature. If I can be of help, I want them to contact me for assistance when they are clueless and reach out when life gets hard. We have helped nine girls who have been expelled return back to school and are excelling, placed 4 teens in a better environment while they work on communication and bonding skills with their parents. We have received referrals from MSD Warren Township, Indy Heartbeat, and Department of Child Services, as well as parents reaching out for additional support for their child. Working to continuously improve our behavior and make good choices is the goal, while being a mentor that I wish I had growing up.
