Camp Never Ends…

An interview by Monica Javier, an LAJF Fellow, with Lisa Qiya Li, a 2008 Camp Rising Sun (CRS) alum.

After reaching out to Lisa, she told me a story of how she unexpectedly crossed paths with a CRS alum. This meeting led to a motivational and important discussion about what CRS alums can do to support the organization.

While speaking with Lisa, she brought me on a journey regarding her views of how the Camp Rising Sun alumni community can continue using their leadership to support CRS.

A look into the Past

Monica: When did you attend CRS?

Lisa: “I was a camper in 2008 from China. We had about 40 campers that year because it was one of the years that LAJF had to reduce the number of campers. The year before us I think there were about 60 campers. So my year was ‘the storm before the financial crisis’. But there was no doubt that my Camp experience was life changing.”

Monica: How would you describe your Camp experience?

Lisa: “It was something that I’d never imagined! Before Camp, I had spent my whole life living in China and studying in China. It was my first time on a plane, the first time in the States, the first time ever abroad, and the first time not having my parents with me for 8 weeks. And how liberating that was, for a young child.”

Alum Conversations About the Future of CRS

A few months ago, Lisa unexpectedly crossed paths with Gabor Gurbacs, a fellow Williams College alum who she first met on social media and later discovered also attended CRS. Lisa told me how their meeting led to a discussion of alums’ involvement for sustaining CRS.

Monica: What steps do you see the CRS Community taking to help the future of CRS?

Lisa: “We should keep having conversations around community engagement and fundraising. The conversations that we have are all very meaningful, and we should ask ourselves: ‘How do we converge people? How do we call people to action?’ When momentum is gathered, that momentum just feeds on its own. But our question is how do we get to the momentum where we can elicit more support from like-minded alums.”

Monica: In your opinion, what would this momentum look like?

Lisa: “As previous campers, we need to be more intentional. We need to take the initiative to reach out and say ‘Okay, we put down our name, we want to make a difference, and tell us how we can engage in these conversations - regional or international.’ But this ‘momentum’ is definitely not a one-way street and requires concerted efforts from both previous campers and Camp.”

The furthering of the conversation

Lisa discussed with Camp alums and LAJF board members, Tim Wong [President Elect of the LAJF Board] and Ginny Qing Ling [member of the LAJF Board] about ways that alums can get more involved with Camp.

Monica: What are some topics you discussed with Ginny Ling (‘99) and Tim Wong (‘78 ‘79)?

Lisa: “We talked about a constraint - or I should say, dilemma - faced by many non-profit organizations. It is that people are often volunteering their time. However, eventually, life takes over, we have a family, we have a day job, we have all these other priorities that we’re trying to balance. And sometimes Camp is the last thing, unfortunately, on the bottom of our to-do list… And I think a lot of us do feel guilty for doing so.”

“As human beings, there are so many things that stop us from donating or volunteering. One of the practical reasons why people don’t give is the passage of time. We all tend to forget about things.”

Monica: What is a takeaway that our alums should remember?

Lisa: “In the end, it’s about the number of people that are giving, the number of people that are actively trying to spread the word and to try to motivate other people… It’s around building a culture of giving, regardless of the amount that we are giving.”

A moment for Reflection

Speaking with Lisa made me realize the validity of the statement: “Camp Never Ends.” During my Camp experience, this was told to us during our final days. We were reminded that we would return back to our hometowns like scattered rays of sunlight around the globe. Our departure would not mark the end to Camp because as alums, we will always meet. The meeting is inevitable whether we choose to stay connected or unexpectedly cross paths like Lisa and Gabor. However, what should also be mentioned during our final days at Camp is: as Camp never ends, our leadership is continuous, as well. The leadership that we develop and cultivate during Camp is carried with us in our suitcases, during our departure. As alums, some actions we can take is starting or joining conversations, and cultivating momentum from a strengthened Culture of Giving.