We’re thrilled to announce the honorees for our 95th Anniversary Gala this October:
Bill Dubey (CRS 1940-1942; LAJF Executive Director 1977-1986)
Beloved former Executive Director, CRS alumnus, and lifelong champion of Camp Rising Sun. From his Navy service to his decades in business, education, and community leadership, Bill has carried CRS values wherever he goes.
Helene Mattera (CRS '97, '00-'01; LAJF Executive Director 2015-2025)
Our Executive Director, whose journey from CRS camper to counselor, Director of Programs, and now Executive Director has shaped generations of campers. As Helene prepares to step down this fall, we celebrate her unwavering dedication to building compassionate leaders around the world.
We invite you to join us for our Charitable Gala on Saturday, October 25th as we honor Helene and Bill for their decades of vision, care, and leadership. Help us celebrate their remarkable impact on Camp Rising Sun and the global community we’ve built together.
Reserve your 95th Anniversary Charitable Gala tickets today and be a part of this unforgettable evening:
More About Our Honorees:
BILL DUBEY
Bill Dubey is a Rising Sun alum, attending CRS from 1940-1942. He attended Harvard University and served in the Navy V-12 program at Harvard, then midshipman’s school and commissioned Ensign in 1944. After Navy discharge, Bill returned to Harvard and graduated in 1946. After his studies, he had a career in the packaging industry for 30 years. He was the Executive Director of the Louis August Jonas Foundation (LAJF) from 1977 to 1986. He then went onto become the Executive Director of Opportunity to Learn, a non-profit that helped immigrant high school students improve their English language skills. He and his wife, Nancy, moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1993 and there, he helped to form the Camp Rising Sun New Mexico selection committee. He and Nancy currently reside in San Diego. He is proud of his years of service to LAJF and Camp Rising Sun and is an honorary member of the CRS Old House Fellowship.
HELENE MATTERA
In many ways, Helene feels as though she has been in training to be LAJF Executive Director since she was sixteen years old. After attending CRS as a camper in ‘97 and ‘98, Helene started on a lifelong journey that would eventually bring her back to Camp, first as a camp counselor, a visiting artist, Camp Director, Director of Programs and finally in the role of Executive Director.
Helene earned her Bachelor’s degree from Hampshire College, where she studied youth development and non-school based youth programming. She then went on to pursue a graduate degree in social work with a focus on children, youth, and families. Before returning to LAJF as Executive Director, Helene was the Executive Director at St. Raymond Community Outreach, where she organized enrichment and recreational programs for children, youth, and adults.
CRS fundamentally changed the trajectory of Helene’s life, and for that reason, she has dedicated herself to paying forward the experience to future generations of campers.