Saul Laquan McKever (Class of 2015) – LDBC Testimonial

I was nine years old when my brothers and I climbed off a dusty coach in the Catskills. Where I came from, summers meant sweating through nights in a small apartment and watching friends drift toward trouble because no one expected anything different. I wasn’t headed down a bad path yet, but I could feel the pull—school felt pointless, dreams felt distant, and no adult had ever asked what I wanted for my life. Then Lake Delaware Boys Camp happened.

Days at LDBC overflowed with the kind of joy I didn’t know I’d been missing. We hiked the Catskill Mountains, chased frogs during our beloved creek walks, and threw ourselves into every kind of game the counselors could dream up. Some mornings the staff surprised us with Olympic‑style theme days—imagine tents becoming nations, the parade field turning into a stadium, and boys battling for bragging rights that felt as big as gold. On special nights, the whole camp trekked out for an overnight campout in which we roasted marshmallows and fell

asleep beneath more stars than I’d ever seen. Even movie nights in the field house were special—we squeezed together under blankets and pillows, whispered the best lines right before they hit the screen, and cheered at every triumph as if it belonged to all of us. Moments like that showed me how good life feels when everyone around you is committed to experiencing joy.

My first summer I was mostly an observer, soaking everything in while the older campers nudged me into the camp spirit. As the years progressed, I was the one calling kids over for a football huddle, leading the competitive chants during mealtimes, or doubling back on a hike to walk beside the slowest camper. Each season added a little more responsibility—helping younger boys pack for the camp‑out, calming nerves before a high-pressure parade, or teaching campers

precision in drill movements. The reward and joy I felt being someone younger campers looked up to helped me to understand that leadership wasn’t about having extra privilege or being in the spotlight; it was about integrity, patience, and having a servant-attitude. Camp changed my temper too. I’d been the kid who had to win every single game and had absolutely no temperance when losing. I never wanted to sub out and allow my teammates more time to compete nor did I relate to the “it’s just for fun” mantra. Fortunately, at LDBC I learned to lose without sulking, to win without showing off and to give those around me an opportunity –whether that meant winning or losing, because the younger boys were going to follow my lead.

My faith also began and was immortalized at camp. Through endless stories, parables, reading and listening about Jesus, I began to believe God might care about a kid like me, and that belief still carries me to this day. Since graduating camp, I’ve worn a cross around my neck every single day as a reminder.

And then there were Jim and Sue Adams. To this day I don’t know why they chose me for the full scholarship they arranged to the elite New England boarding school, St. Mark’s, but the afternoon they told me felt nothing short of an anointing from God. They didn’t just open the door and step back either. Every fall they drove hours to watch one of my football games, took me to dinner afterward, and asked the kinds of questions that let me know they still cared how the story was unfolding.

At St. Marks I captained the football, wrestling and lacrosse teams, was

voted school president, and graduated believing I had endless opportunity. That confidence carried me to the Ivy League, where I earned my degree from the University of Pennsylvania and later began a career on Wall Street. In a few months, I will be applying for MBA programs at schools like Harvard, Stanford and Wharton. LDBC showed me that if it can happen once, it can happen again.

Because of Lake Delaware, I went on to lead, to serve, and to dream far beyond the boundaries I once accepted. Camp didn’t just change my direction; it changed my definition of possible. It gave me brothers, mentors, faith, and the steady conviction that I can lift others the way LDBC first lifted me.