VIRGINIAN BY BIRTH, TEXAN BY HEART
KING OF OUTDOORSING AND BROING OUT
VIOLENT VOLLEYBALL SPIKER
Ben Chiovaro hails from the Shenandoah Foothills near Charlottesville, Virginia. After reconnecting with some old family members at a reunion as a high schooler, his cousin Meagan recommended that he apply for Laity Lodge Youth Camp in Leakey, Texas, as an Echo Valley counselor for the summer of 2017 after his senior year. “Meagan spoke so highly and so loyally of this place she had worked for a few years of her college life,” Ben says. “This beautiful Canyon she spoke of and lifelong relationships with her campers are what fully piqued my interest. But I had never even been to Texas before I showed up. I have no idea what I was thinking! It was a leap of faith for sure, and the community and love kept me coming back.” From there Ben served as an EV counselor for 10 different cabins, a PC Boss, Activities Team Director, and now as a full-time LLYC associate.
Ben loves to snowboard (not much of that in Texas), play volleyball, go backpacking, and get outdoors any chance he gets. Ben has been working in youth ministry and with kids since he was old enough to babysit and loves to make an impact on kids lives and provide them with memorable experiences in the outdoors and with friends. He attended James Madison University and graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor’s in Health Science and a minor in Chronic Illness with a pre-PA concentration.