Meet Loren Shumard, the Director of Operations for LifeCampUSA, former Navy Seal, and mentor with LifeCampUSA.
In 2007, after graduating with a Bachelors from Jacksonville University, Loren joined the US Navy in an attempt to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a Navy SEAL. He served 11 years with the Navy, and 7 with the SEAL Teams. During this time, he toured many parts of the globe including Africa, Europe, and South America. Loren’s experiences of hardship and loss while serving were monumental in shaping his faith, and has allowed him to stay hopeful despite many trials and difficulties. In 2018, he welcomed a new life into his world and decided to dive head first into this new chapter of fatherhood.
Loren found LifeCampUSA in a rather peculiar way. You truly never know how one’s life can change in just one swift moment. Driving down a road one afternoon in Tampa, Loren heard a voice talking on the radio. The voice was our founder sharing about the incredible opportunity to serve boys of fallen heroes. Immediately Loren had a vision of leaving his own son to face this world without a father. The thought moved Loren to tears forcing him to pull over to the side of the road and write down the number being shared over the radio.
What Loren didn’t know was that he’d be the only one to make a phone call that day in response to the radio broadcast. And there was no way to prepare himself for the honor he’d feel as a Goldstar child at camp would tell him that he reminded him of his own dad. Surely, he couldn’t have predicted that he’d end up right where it all began… in the newsroom of that same radio station, sharing about the same missions to serve boys of fallen heroes. “I believe my military experiences and faith can help the next generation of boys battle through their own challenges in life, and teach them to rely not just on their own strength, but through a relationship with the creator.”
LifeCampUSA is unbelievably blessed to be able to have Loren as part of our team. He is a gifted and amazing leader, encourager, mentor, father, and husband.