Martha Mosco, Medical Director '15

Martha with the HAWC (Health and Wellness Center) sign

Martha Mosco '15 served as the Medical Director at CRS 2015. Her incredible positivity, optimism, sense of humor, and general joie de vivre buoyed camper and staff spirits through the entire season, making her an invaluable resource to every member of the community. 

Martha was born in a small town in Rhode Island. She attended Simmons College in Boston for nursing. During that time, she spent a year abroad in London, which ignited her passion for travel. Martha hasn't stopped working, traveling, and living abroad since. Most recently, she spent a year in southwestern Nicaragua working on public health projects. 

After her year in Nicaragua, Martha went looking for another opportunity to use her skills in a community health setting. She stumbled across Camp online and knew right away that she had found something special. After applying and being accepted as medical director, Martha found out that her uncle was an alumnus (Tod Lawrence '66)!

This summer at Camp, Martha proved herself a million times over. Tending to issues of the body, mind, and soul, she carefully and expertly guided campers through their days. In addition to dealing with issues as they arose, Martha was proactive about camper health, constantly reminding campers about ticks, water, and sunlight. She, alongside Mariam Ismail ('14, '15), kept Camp healthy and safe for everyone, staff members and campers alike.

Alongside her enormous responsibility as Medical Director, Martha went out of her way to help with the CRS program. She constantly pushed campers to question their assumptions and really think about decisions they made. She made herself available outside of the medical center, spending time with campers during their free time. She co-led an evening program on Safe Spaces, one of the earlier and more emotionally demanding evening programs. She participated in projects, swimming, sports, cooking, cleaning – it would probably be harder to name a program area Martha didn't participate in! (She even went on a three-day hike!) By constantly being present, actively listening to those around her, and setting an example for everyone, Martha greatly benefited the entire community at CRS 2015.

We asked Martha for her thoughts on this season and CRS. She had the following to say:

I think one of the most moving and impactful parts of Camp for me is that this program empowers the rising generations to live and learn an international, intercultural and community mentality. This is now, more than ever, essential for success, human kindness, learning, cooperation and peace, as individuals and for our greater society. Plus, it's a lot of fun! I was so humbled by the campers and staff that arrived on our campus and how much we all shared with and learned from each other. Learning together and practicing to consider the needs of others and the larger community before oneself was such a gift. And to see the growth and impact everyday of the community we all worked together to create was the greatest gift of all.

Martha is currently working as a nurse in a family clinic in Washington Heights, Manhattan, at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. After spending a year in Nicaragua, she found herself fluent in Spanish, which she uses every day at work, as well as to volunteer as a translator in a local free health center. Martha also continues to serve Camp on the Health and Safety committee. We're so happy that Martha is a member of our ever-expanding community, and we'd like to thank her for her stellar work and attitude this summer. 

Sarah Uttermann-Merritt '02, '03, '12 – '15

Sarah Uttermann-Merritt '02, '03, '12 - '15 has been a #GivingTuesday leader for CRS since 2013. She wrote the following message about #GivingTuesday 2015:

This Tuesday is Giving Tuesday, and you know what that means... I am trying to raise money for a charity I love.

I spent my sixth summer at Camp Rising Sun this year, and my fourth summer as a counselor. Camp is the best gift I've ever been given, and I'd like it if bright, caring teenagers from around the world could continue to spend a life-changing summer at CRS next year and for many years to come. So, I'm putting my money where my mouth is and using my entire salary from my four weeks at camp this summer-- $1,500-- to match your donations for the CRS 2016 season. This means if I raise $1,500 for camp, I will donate another $1,500.

UPDATE (at 10pm California time):

WOW! At midday today I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to meet my goal. However, thanks to Christina my little campaign has now been publicized to the whole alumni community! Thanks to your help, with my matching donation we have SMASHED through my goal! A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all the donors I have never met-- please let me know when you're in San Francisco and we'll get tea! Thank you thank you thank you! 

P.S. Anyone want to match the rest?

We're honored by Sarah's generosity and so proud of her hard work. This year, she raised over $3,700 dollars (and counting!) for her campaign. For the past four years, she took time off from her job as a data analyst in San Francisco to work at Camp Rising Sun. She is also project leader of the CRS Alumni Forum, heads selection in California, and serves on the Alumni Relations Committee. Sarah contributes so much to the CRS community.

She has also inspired others to follow in her footsteps. Sandesh Shettar '06 has started a campaign to match $1,000 (and raise $2,000). 

Sarah's determination, hard work, expertise, and dedication have benefited us through the years, and we're so thankful for her time and effort.

Has Sarah inspired YOU to take action? Here's how to get involved:

• Donate to Sarah's fundraiser here!
• Donate to Sandesh's fundraiser here! Remember, he will match your gifts up to $1,000 this week. 
• Create your own fundraiser and make a meaningful impact on Rising Sun 2016!
• Shop with Amazon Smile for Cyber Week and support LAJF at checkout.

Jackie Ramos '91, '92 speaks about the lessons she learned from CRS

We asked Jackie Ramos '91, '92 to share with us some lessons she gained from her Camp experience, and what advice she might have for future campers. Here is what she had to say.

"There are so many lessons to learn at Camp Rising Sun, but one that stands out for me is that as young women, we leave behind imprints of our lives that follow us through to our future. This holds true for me as I would never have imagined that as a young lady 23+ years ago, the lasting legacy I left behind at Camp (both in spirit and material) would have a significant, lasting and profound impact when my daughter Sophie Rose became a legacy camper in 2014 and 2015. I have had the fortunate opportunity to see in my daughter’s eyes what Camp meant to me and has done for me. To hear her declare “Camp changed my life for the better,” the very words that I spoke 23 years ago… now, that’s a lasting legacy.  Sometimes, as young people, we go through life jumping from one thing to the next with little thought of the “tokens” we pick up and leave behind. My advice would be to take a moment to cherish all that camp offers, cherish the conversations you have with your fellow camp sisters/brothers, because it very well may be the last time you speak with them. Make sure to spend quality time with each and every person at camp and break the cliques that naturally tend to form. Your world will become smaller as you bring your sisters/brothers closer to your heart. In the meantime, your life gets bigger as you nurture friendships from near and far.

Not a day goes by that the spirit of Camp does not enter my world in one form or another. It appears on the checkout line when I turn to the person next to me and ask them how they are doing. It happens when I get an irate call from an employee who needs to know that I am listening to them. It appears when I walk down the street and look up and see the beauty in the big blue sky and the chirping birds. Camp gave me a sense of awareness of the tokens in life and of myself as a contributing human being on this great Earth. I use what I learned from Camp while raising my daughter to be open to all faiths, religions, races and orientations. I will echo what I said 23 years ago and my daughter repeated and that is... Camp changed my life for the better!"

Building and Grounds Update from Tom Spurge

We had a productive day at RH last weekend as we began the process of "clearing the way" to allow our professional partners access to the mundane yet necessary elements of our infrastructure which require attention. A great big hao-hao to all the volunteers who showed up in support of our efforts and who worked hard to dig through decades of dust and memories to clean out the attic of the old house and the crawl space of ED Hall of lots of stuff which had been accumulating, seemingly forever. 

We have much more to do, but at least the process has physically begun and we can look forward to an earnest middle from our auspicious beginning. 

Thanks also to all of the B&G committee for their efforts thus far, especially to Mickey Seabrook for traveling from South Carolina to be with us. Also a shout out to Christina, Helene and Damian for joining us for the Committee meeting and augmenting the conversation with layers of thoughtful ideas and input. 

I would also like to personally recognize the ongoing efforts of JC Calderon in helping to keep the issues confronting us in the fore and for mobilizing and ushering the ongoing fundraising efforts through the larger community.  Thanks to our neighbors Susan Hinkle and Brian Williams for engaging us and their offers of help and support.

We are happy to report that the RFP's (request for proposals) have gone out to select firms for purposes of choosing a professional firm that will evaluate the site conditions and facilitate the production of the design and construction documents necessary to effectuate the reconstruction of the RH campus. We expect to have those back in a manner consistent with our expressed timeline therein, so that we can begin a vetting process, choose a firm and enter into a contract as soon as possible. 

Stay tuned for more!

Here are links to a lot more information from the Buildings & Grounds Committee:

1. Request for proposals (RFP) sent to area architectural firms
2. Letter sent to several architects
3. June site report - 169 pages, along with photos, detailing the facilities needs for Red Hook and Clinton