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- Service Worker David Betancourt painted the new-to-Pine Lake playground outside Tall Pines.
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- Service worker David Betancourt pressure-washed the entire swamp trail board
Tucked among the many stories of disappointments, this summer, one camp counselor made the most of the remnants of his summer plans. David Betancourt (an LIT in 2018) gladly received a grant in April of 2020. The grant, through the Summer Service Program (SSP) of Mennonite Central Committee would supplement his camp counselor earnings for college. With no campers or summer camp, however, the assignment changed completely. Still, David took it all in stride and accepted without hesitation.
Along with leadership workshops via Zoom, David did groundskeeping at camp and helped with Jubilee’s food outreach. His hours at camp included pressure washing the swamp trail, painting the playground, and taming the Tall Pines flower beds. Most sunny afternoons, the distant hum of the weed eater or lawn mower buzzed across the lake, as David subdued the quick growing grass, in preparation for guests.
David admits some of the hours mowing got a little long. David, however, enjoyed using his time on the riding mower to process his leadership workshops. He could consider the strengths and perspective he brings as a leader. Over the course of the summer, David saw himself grow in self-awareness through this program. Next for David, he hopes to continue to grow in his leadership as he considers the camp counselor role for summer 2021.
