This year was the 10th Annual CRS Alumni Picnic in Central Park! Thank you to the New York Alumni Association for hosting and for everyone who joined us. Click the post to check out photos from the event.
Read the highlights from our annual LAJF Board Retreat at Camp! Big thanks to the incredible members of our Board of Directors who volunteer their time and give their energy to ensure the foundation and CRS continue to thrive.
Thank you to all of the CRS Alums who gathered together in Poland for the World Reunion in September 2024! Click to check out photos from the weekend.
We are excited to announce the winners of the 2024-25 GEJ Scholarship Awards! These recent CRS alums, staff, and volunteers embody the values of leadership, excellence, and commitment to social justice across a variety of fields and disciplines. We congratulate them on all of their achievements and look forward to seeing what they do in the future! Please click to meet this year's scholarship recipients.
CRS alumnae Janelle (‘96, ‘97, ‘01 - ‘03, ‘06) and Lisa (‘01- ‘03) Iglesias are an art duo whose interactive installation, Las Hermanas Iglesias: HERE, HERE, is currently housed in the Utah Museum of Fine Art. This installation seeks to bring people together and encourages creative experimentation. This exhibit runs until January 28.
This summer, LAJF Director of Programs, Janessa Schilmoeller (‘05, ‘06, ‘10, ‘11, ‘16, ‘17) was published in the American Camping Association (ACA) publication Camping Magazine. The article, Social Justice Series: Recognizing Microaggressions at Camp, is part of Camping Magazine’s social justice series. Janessa writes about ongoing efforts to hire a diverse staff that is reflective of the cultural diversity of our camper body, and the importance of cultural sensitivity training for staff of all different backgrounds.
Today, in the final post of the CRS-Program Area Highlight series, we hear from Eva Stylianou and Sofia Logan, former CRS Art and Music Counselors. Creative expression is an integral part of the CRS experience, and providing a space for campers to engage in the arts and music, provides campers the opportunity to “explore music and dance as tools for social change, telling different cultural stories through artistic expression.”
This week, in our CRS summer staff series, we hear from Sonia Wargacka (‘10, ‘16, ‘17), the 2016-2017 Projects Counselor. Sonia discusses why she values projects, and how projects empower campers. “There is a lot to say about empowerment when we talk about hammers, table saws, construction, and painting. Enabling all of our campers to make projects happen and be the change they want to see first at Camp, and then in the world, is for me one of the most important elements of Camp Rising Sun.”
Throughout December, we will be highlighting the stories of former Camp Rising Sun counselors to hear what they valued most in their program areas. This is to increase awareness and understanding of how donations make these opportunities possible. This week, Antonella Cornejo (CRS ’16-’17) reflects on two summers working in the CRS kitchen and the importance of cultural meals to the camp experience.
Leymah Gbowee, a 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate, visited Camp Rising Sun this summer to speak with campers about her career as a peacebuilder and the importance of perseverance and working as a team to accomplish common goals. “she taught us the value of perseverance, ‘that even when life is too difficult you should stay put and keep focusing on your goals.’” Read about this enriching experience here.
LOUIS AUGUST JONAS FOUNDATION 6 RISING SUN LANE RHINEBECK, NY, 12572, UNITED STATES +1 (212) 686-1930 CONTACT@LAJF.ORG
The Louis August Jonas Foundation (LAJF) and Camp Rising Sun (CRS) have a long-held commitment to the principles of diversity, stemming from our mission. In that spirit, LAJF and CRS do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, creed, color, sexual orientation, nation of origin, gender, sex, or gender identity.
