Where Are They Now: Minnesota Chapter Founder Zach "Binx" Morris

For 25 years, Kesem has supported children facing a parent’s cancer through free, year-round programs and a lifelong community, led by dedicated college student volunteers. To mark the 25th anniversary, we’re catching up with former campers and student leaders to reflect on how their Kesem experiences continue to shape their lives.

When Zach “Binx” Morris, a founder of Kesem’s University of Minnesota chapter, sat down to interview for a new position with the American Cancer Society in 2016, he didn’t expect to be speaking with someone he already shared a deeply personal connection with.

“I moved to Atlanta after college graduation because I was working part time for the American Cancer Society (ACS) at the Minneapolis Hope Lodge. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but ACS is headquartered in Atlanta, so I moved there thinking my best shot at a full-time job would be at their corporate office.” He was right, landing a full-time role in fundraising. During this time he also stayed connected with Kesem, joining the Emory and UGA chapters Advisory Boards and attending camp as a counselor.

Two years later, he applied for a new role with the ACS research department and had that life-changing interview. “The hiring manager said, ‘Camp Kesem! My kids are Mocha and Wizard, they go to camp at the Emory chapter!’” Turns out, Zach had been Wizard’s counselor. “She said to me, ‘seeing Kesem on your resume told me everything I needed to know about the kind of person and employee that you are.’” Zach adds, “if you do Kesem, you need to be organized, professional, and punctual. Those things translate to jobs, and there’s a softer part too. When you recognize a Kesem student leader, you already know they’re someone you can count on, they’re a good person.”

Zach was in that research role for nine and a half years and he and that hiring manager are friends to this day. They have even been on multiple international trips together. “It all got me where I am now. That’s the invisible thread. It’s real.”

Though he founded the University of Minnesota chapter during his junior year of college, it’s Zach’s post-college Kesem experiences that he most identifies with and calls “life-defining,” proof that Kesem’s impact stretches far beyond childhood and college. He’s been a counselor, Camp Advisor, Senior Camp Advisor, advisory board member, Hotline Operator, Camper Intake Coordinator, Team Kesem runner (at the 2016 San Francisco Marathon) and a member of the National Alumni Board.

The invisible thread is present in Zach’s personal life too. “I have truly lifelong friends that I've met through Kesem. We get together three to four times a year, and this year we’re all going to Italy together for Piper and Kirby's wedding.” This won’t be Zach’s first Kesem wedding, either. “I officiated a wedding in December 2025 for a Kesem student leader. Ten years ago, I was her camp advisor while she was still a student leader, and now I’ve officiated her wedding!” 

The differences in these Kesem relationships are clear to Zach and his friends. “We talk about how special our friendships are all the time. It's such a genuine, whole person, deep, deep friendship. With Kesem people, there's no topic that's off the table to discuss or be vulnerable about. We've navigated college and graduate schools and moods and relationships and weddings and, soon, kids. It's really the most genuine type of friendship.”

To others considering Kesem for the first time, whether they’re a family deciding which Kesem program is right for their kids, or college students thinking about joining a chapter, Zach says, “do it, your life will never be the same after!”

While Zach’s own parents weren’t impacted by cancer, his uncle was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after Zach graduated from college, and Zach’s cousins have since attended Camp Kesem. “It speaks to the magic: I don't have a parent that's been impacted, but Kesem has still defined my life and who I am as a person, that’s just how magical it is.”

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