Officer Jake Benavidez of the Grant County Sheriff's Department will speak to Rotary at noon Tuesday December 2 about the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, or D.A.R.E. The D.A.R.E. program is a law enforcement-led effort to prevent drug abuse and other high-risk behaviors in students, with funding support from the Grant County Sheriff's Office and anonymous donations. The program, taught by uniformed officers, focuses on developing skills for resisting peer pressure, making good decisions, and increasing self-esteem.
Sergeant Benavidez has dedicated nearly a decade to law enforcement and youth outreach. A certified D.A.R.E. Officer since 2019, he also serves as the D.A.R.E. Coordinator and has served as Treasurer on the New Mexico D.A.R.E.
State Board from 2022 to 2024. Sergeant Benavidez is an instructor in multiple law enforcement disciplines and is a Field Training Coordinator. He received the prestigious FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Award in Leadership. His expertise and commitment to mentorship reflect his passion for empowering students to make positive life choices and supporting the mission of the D.A.R.E. Program.
The Rotary Club will meet in the conference room of Gila Regional Medical Center. Visitors should enter through the main entrance. There is a brief "meet and greet", and then the speaker has the floor. The club welcomes members of the public to the meetings. Lunch is available in the hospital cafeteria. Guests are advised to arrive in the cafeteria well before noon.
Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Since its founding in 1923, the Silver City Rotary Club has provided support and service to numerous non-profit organizations and civic causes in Silver City and Grant County as well as supporting and participating in humanitarian projects sponsored by Rotary International.
