Lauren Paley '98, '99, '02-'06

Lauren Paley ‘98, '99, ‘02-06 is a New York alumna who graduated from George Washington University. Lauren initially went to college with the intention of being a journalist; she had even taken time off from school to work for a news service. However, working as a counselor from ’02-’06 and working with other non-profits ignited her passion in non-profit management. As it turned out, the news service was a nonprofit too, where her reporting work quickly changed to grant writing. 

After returning to college and taking up a part-time job at a law office, Lauren learned about the pro bono work of many law partners there. The law firm job was meant to just help pay bills while in school, but it led her down a path that ultimately shaped her career. 

Lauren currently works at the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center where she helps match community nonprofits and small businesses in the Washington, DC area with free legal assistance. “Nonprofits and small businesses are the back bone of a healthy community," Lauren says. "They offer essential services to the public and are the top job creators toward a thriving local economy.”

However, paying for an attorney can significantly deplete the funds a nonprofit needs to keep programs running or a business needs to grow on start-up capital. The D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center runs classes on legal basics, brief advice clinics where organizations can meet with attorneys for the day, and a match program that creates long-term relationships between lawyers and organizations. Attorneys from large law firms, solo practices, the federal government, and local corporations all donate their time through the Pro Bono Center to help these small businesses and nonprofits. Lauren adds that, “When I hear people get frustrated about Washington, DC, I like to tell them about the Pro Bono Center and remind them that public service is alive and well in this city!” 

Lastly, we asked Lauren for one piece of advice she would like to give to our younger alumni. She stated, “Sometimes we’re so narrowly focused on the ‘right way’ toward our goals, we prevent ourselves from trying unrelated experiences. It’s okay to try out things that aren’t part of the plan. Some may not stick, but often you’ll be surprised.” 

Big Appreciation for Alumni Associations

by Michelle Beaver, '99 - '04

You go to camp, your mind expands, you make friends, a community, a family, and then you go home. 

And feel lonely. And maybe you cry. 

It’s called camp sickness. The best cure: an alumni association! In its base form, an alumni association gives former campers and staff members a new version of camp, a lasting “part two” after a transformative experience. Alumni associations provide a common ground and a meeting space for people who share a place, ideas, and experiences. 

Members of alumni associations understand how powerful camp can be. They also know the same songs and understand references to, for instance, “Mandy Day,” “Cabin Hill” and “Emily Dickinson Hall.” And of course alumni associations are integral in choosing participants for the next season of camp. 

An alumni association can be as small and informal as three people from the same state getting together for coffee once a year. Other alumni associations, however, go way above and beyond that modest prospect. The Danish Alumni Association, for instance, is so large, organized, motivated and creative that they started a camp. 

Several other groups of alumni have also made big contributions to the Camp Rising Sun community and can always be counted on for help and insight. One such group is the Minnesota Alumni Association.  

Members of the Minnesota Alumni Association have served on the Louis August Jonas Foundation board of directors and several committees. And members of the association, Nita and Rick Luis, have been incredibly generous with their donations. 

Recently, this fine group of Minnesotans compiled a sustainability report about how the group helps LAJF. They wrote this in hopes that other associations can learn from what the Minnesota group has experienced, said Minnesota member Dan Pierpont, who was a legacy camper in 1992 and 1993 and was the art counselor in 1996.

“My hope is that it will show others a path to raising more money for LAJF, staying passionate about CRS, and having fun with your fellow Rising Sun brothers and sisters,” he said. Many alumni associations spend their energies selecting campers, but that is only the beginning. Some associations fund travel expenses for their campers, but a few exceptional associations have led fundraising efforts to support the Camp program. In Minnesota, there is a board member dedicated to organizing and leading fundraising efforts to support LAJF. 

Dan added that he believes alumni events lead to more engagement and giving. 

“Alumni associations need a few dedicated people to make gatherings happen and stay in good communication with the local alumni,” he said. “There area people that care enough about CRS to do something about it and spend whatever time it takes to get the job done.”  

Another alum, Dorothee Pass, agrees that it’s important to designate someone to lead events. Pass, a 2000 Clinton camper, a 2001 Stendis camper, a counselor at Red Hook in 2006, and a member of the German alumi association, said a successful association “is not a one- or two-man show.”

She added that it can be hard to find people who can commit to what they want do for camp, but that even in that case, alumni associations continue friendships and form new ones, particularly across generations. 
“Although it has been 16 years since my first and 10 years since my last summer at CRS, I remain bound by heart,” Dorothy said. 

Harry Hamstra, director of the Dutch Alumni Association from 1999-2007, and a long-time board member of the Dutch alumni association, agrees that having at least one very dedicated person makes a big difference. 

“For a successful alumni association it is vital to have a few persons that like to invest in keeping people connected, by personal contacts, by newsletters etc., and by organizing at least one association meeting per year,” he said. 

The Dutch groups meet at least twice a year. During the fall meeting, the association members ask the newest campers about their experience. The tradition continues …

According to Harry, the main point of these groups involves, “Sharing of the special emotions that one has at camp, with people that really understand, and finding a group of interested and interesting people of different ages and backgrounds—with a common base in their CRS experience.”

It all makes coming home from camp a little easier. Thank you to all of our alumni associations! If there isn’t one in your state or country, please consider starting one. You could end up being the sachem every association needs. 

Rene Pierpont, '95, '96, '00-'03

Rene Pierpont is a current LAJF Board member, as well as acting Board Secretary and Chair of the Selection Policy Committee. She was a Legacy camper in 1995 and 1996. Her grandparents are Libby and Mandy Mascia. She returned to Camp in 2000 as a staff member at Clinton, a position she held until 2003.  

Rene completed her undergraduate degree at Georgetown University.  She worked with the Brain and Language Lab, where she developed an interest in studying children with language disorders and other neurodevelopmental disabilities.  Her graduate degree in Psychology and postdoctoral degree came from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Recently, Rene joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota in the area of pediatric neuropsychology. In addition, she is married and has two young children, Nina, 4 years and Elijah, 11 months. 

Rene continues to be interested in Selection Policy because she would love to see our process of increasing the effectiveness and diversity of campers succeed. She attended the camper Selection in Minnesota this year and shared the following thoughts:

Every year when conducting interviews for Camper Selection I am so re-energized! While having fascinating conversations with the potential future campers from Minnesota, I am reminded of the essential role that our alumni have to play in enabling successive generations of change-makers develop their talents and voices through the Rising Sun experience. Selection is almost like a "Circle of Life" phenomenon within our community. Those of us who experienced something worthy of sharing while we were at Rising Sun eagerly await passing along this gift to a new set of fresh-faced young leaders. 

We caught up with Rene to ask her about her current pursuits, as well as how Camp Rising Sun impacted her:

1) What do you think is the biggest lesson or takeaway you learned from
Rising Sun?

I've learned that our character is defined not by how much we wish for something, but by how much we are willing to commit, struggle and sacrifice for that thing. This lesson applies to me in my own life every day... There are certainly always trade-offs in my career, in my role of motherhood, in my activities as a CRS Board member. All of these things present challenges-- and I continually have to choose to apply myself wholeheartedly to those challenges every day. 

Incidentally, this lesson about commitment is also really relevant to the current challenges facing the CRS community as we try to determine solutions that will ensure a sustainable future for our program. Achieving sustainability will require a serious collective effort- every one of us will need to share our precious time, to open our minds and wallets, to roll up our sleeves, to work through tough conversations and beyond hurt feelings, and to participate in tasks that are sometimes very, very challenging. I believe that our alumni will be able to do this to keep the mission of Rising Sun alive.

2) Can you tell us more about the work you do with your organization?
 
I am a pediatric neuropsychologist in a busy academic medical center. I conduct evaluations of children with complex medical, neurodevelopmental and mental health needs which inform their educational and treatment plans. I love working in pediatrics, and of course I have a special fondness for working with teenagers! Interestingly, many of the skills that I learned from being a Counselor working with exceptional teens at Rising Sun still apply today in my work with children who are struggling. Each type of person has their own developmental needs. To meet those needs we must be willing to listen and find ways to support them to develop into their best selves.

3) If you had one piece of advice to offer young men and women who are
still in high school, college, or the early stages of their career, what
would it be?

If you aren't making mistakes, you aren't challenging yourself enough. It's okay to be wrong sometimes-- in fact, people will respond better to you if you are humble, acknowledge that you messed up, and commit to working to improve it the next time. Also, you will probably learn the most from listening to those who have a different perspective than you.