CRS alum and LAJF Board Member, Evan Schwartz, shares why Camp Rising Sun has remained such a meaningful part of his life, and why he continues to give back, year after year.
Click to read his personal year-end note and gift match announcement! Please consider making a gift to LAJF and Camp Rising Sun before 2025 ends. Go to lajf.org/donate to give now.
LAJF and Camp Rising Sun are fortified by strong roots that stretch back 95 years. What began as a summer camp in 1930, is now a global movement that has grown generations of ethical leaders. Click to read the full end of year letter from our Executive Director, Barry Fulton.
Thank you for celebrating 95 Years of Camp Rising Sun! From October 24-26, 2025, we gathered at the iconic TWA Hotel to celebrate 95 years of Camp Rising Sun—and the global community that has made it all possible. Click to view photo highlights from the weekend celebration!
This year was the 11th Annual CRS NYAA 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.
Since 1930, LAJF and our programs, Camp Rising Sun and The Ethical Leadership Experience, have shaped the lives of more than 6,500 alumni from dozens of countries around the world. Across generations and continents, CRS and TELE alumni continue to lead with empathy, curiosity, and courage—bringing Rising Sun values into classrooms, courtrooms, creative industries, clinics, and communities. As we celebrate 95 years of impact, we’re spotlighting just a few of the many stories that show how a summer at Camp becomes a lifetime of meaning.
Here’s Liz Lee’s story—current Minnesota state representative of St. Paul’s Eastside district—who attended Camp Rising Sun in 2004.
CRS alumnus Carl Manalo (‘95 ‘96 ‘11), has been featured in several articles describing how he creates a culture of caring at his school. "CRS and LAJF are probably the reasons why I’m in the field of Education, working with this age group. My experiences at CRS are key to my educational philosophy."
Read about LAJF’s newest initiative The Camp Rising Sun College Student Network (CRS CSN). The CRS CSN brings together alumni who are currently applying for, enrolled in, interested in, or knowledgeable about the U.S. College system. It is a place for sharing experiences in the admissions process, financial aid, study habits, choice of studies, career opportunities and everything else college related.
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.
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.
