“When it comes down to it, the most important part of my job during this summer was to be there for the campers, to talk to them in the lean-tos, to look at the stars with them and think thoughts that might reach the stars, to laugh and move with them. To listen and to question.”

—Anonymous quote hanging on the wall in the Camp Rising Sun staff office

Dear Campers, Alumni, Parents and anyone else who encountered Camp Rising Sun in their life one way or another,

The summer is here. As you read this, there are 30 staff members from all over the world learning all about adolescent development, Camp traditions, safety procedures and energizers. And on Sunday, the first cohort of campers will arrive at Clinton! I imagine many of them are scanning our Instagram and YouTube channel, trying to predict what this summer’s adventure will be for them, based on the videos and photos they see. The second year campers are preparing to be the guides through this adventure. The parents are very excited for their kids to have four weeks off their phones, and very curious as to what else this camp will bring into their lives.

Camp Rising Sun, with its more than 95-year legacy, is built on courage. It takes courage to set up a place that receives 120 campers from all over the world every year on a need-blind scholarship. It takes courage for every camper, from 1930 to 2026, to pack their bags and leave their home for the unknown. It takes courage to invite hope and profound sense of purpose into one’s heart, and to open up in a multicultural community. It takes courage to work through conflict when it occurs, and to grow exponentially as a young leader.

And I know this courage well, because I arrived at Camp carrying it myself. I was a 14-year old Polish girl going to the U.S. all by myself. Will my English be good enough? Will I find friends? How do I know how many pairs of trousers are enough to bring with me?

I vividly remember standing in the washing room of Camp with my dirty laundry, realising I had never used a washing machine before. A second year camper came to my rescue.

I also remember spending an entire summer thinking “close toad shoes” was a rather strange phrase for shoes I had to wear in the kitchen. An epiphany of a non-native English speaker came to me six years later, during my first summer as staff, when wearing closed-toe shoes in the kitchen was mentioned as a safety requirement. “Oh dear”, I thought, and my cheeks burned. Years later, I was leading “English as a second language” affinity group at Camp, and laughed about it with campers.

The most magical thing about Camp Rising Sun is that measuring its impact is a tricky thing, for we all are a constant work in progress. Some of my closest friends among the alumni circle told me they didn’t realize until years later how much of an impact it had on them, and then one day it clicked. Some notice the difference immediately. For a lot of the alumni, this is a fluid situation that changes as they go through late teens, early adulthood, and then their adult years.

And while the impact of Camp Rising Sun can never be fully measured, I know one thing for sure: courage is contagious.

Sonia and LAJF Executive Director, Barry.

Every person connected to this community shares a version of the same story. At some point, we heard about Camp Rising Sun and chose to step into the unknown. We boarded the plane, sent our kids off, packed the bag, entered the conversation, joined the circle, or took on the responsibility.

More than 95 years later, that simple act of courage continues to ripple outward through every summer and every generation.

So here’s to courage: may we continue to borrow it from one another, and pass it on to those who come next.

Sonia Wargacka
Camp Director, Camp Rising Sun

Sonia Wargacka (she/her) is a Polish-British filmmaker, producer, and storyteller based in Bristol, UK. She first attended Camp Rising Sun as a camper in 2010 and returned as a staff member in 2016, 2017, 2023, and 2025. Outside of Camp, Sonia works across television, documentary, and social impact storytelling, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Film as well as Master's degree in Humanitarianism, Conflict, and Development from the University of Bath. She is honored to serve as Camp Director and to continue giving back to a community that has shaped her life for more than fifteen years.