Zechariah Benoit

Full-Time Missionary Staff

Meet our full-time missionary staff member, Zech! He first brought to camp at the age of 14 as a counselor-in-training by his former foster mom, Debbie Woods. Since then he has volunteered as a counselor and been part of the 2018 and 2019 Summer Internship Programs. After completing the 2019/2020 year-long internship, he decided to join the camp family as a full-time missionary. Zech lives with the residents of the Hartley House as well as two other male staff members. A large part of his work is finishing the construction of Camp Daniel’s new grounds. He is also involved with Special Olympics, The Hub Student Ministry and The Able Church.

All the staff at Camp Daniel are full-time missionaries to people with disabilities and raise their own financial support. Zech needs your help to raise $600 in monthly financial support to pay rent, food, transportation, and other living expenses. He asks for your financial support, whether it be $10, $20, $50, or $100 a month.

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Year-Long Internship Reflection

”Camp Daniel has made me into a much more responsible and accountable person. Before camp, I was struggling. I learned that college wasn’t for me and I was a truck supervisor at Shopko up to the point where they went bankrupt and closed. There were plenty of options out there for me. I could have tried college again, or I could have gotten a new job somewhere. Somehow I knew that camp was my best option, and I was right. Through my time here, I’ve learned how to work and interact with people (to be honest, I’m really weird) and I have also learned some basic skills like time management, grocery shopping, and getting into a routine. Camp has helped me through several stressful events in my life, and it has continued to help me grow in my faith. I don’t have a clue where I would be if I wasn’t here, but I think I can safely say that applying for the year internship was the best decision I have made thus far.
One of my favorite moments was when I first started the internship. I was the last of five interns to start. I had a start date in mind, but I never gave anyone a time as to when I was actually going to arrive, so everyone was on the edge of their seat as to whether I was going to show up. Arriving was the weirdest feeling of excitement I ever had. It was as if I was embarking on some grand adventure. Seeing everyone and getting situated in my room with my roommate was so cool. At that moment, I realized that in a way I had moved from my home and was out in the real world as a young adult.
Group projects were never my thing in school. Somehow I either ended up doing all of the work or none of it. In the end, things never actually turned out well. If I’m being completely honest, they still are not my thing. I like solitude and I personally think I focus better when I’m alone. What I have figured out during the internship is how important and valuable it is to work in a team. Everyone in a group has their own strengths and weaknesses. It’s through good communication and patience where everyone is able to function together.
You learn a lot from spending time at camp. From how to do a minor task to literally learning how God works, volunteering here is a rollercoaster of introspection and self-discovery. It is truly an experience that cannot be described nor can it be felt anywhere else.
After the internship, I will stay at camp as a staff member until the early fall of 2021.