Emily Barnard
95th Anniversary Reunion and Gala Photo Gallery

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!

95th Anniversary Reunion and Gala Photo Gallery
Emily Barnard
11th Annual NYAA Picnic in Central Park

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.

11th Annual NYAA Picnic in Central Park
Emily Barnard
95 Years of Impact: Liz Lee

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.

95 Years of Impact: Liz Lee
Emily Barnard
95 Years of Impact: Richard Gibbs

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 Richard Gibbs’ story—a 1963 CRS alum, ballet dancer, and founder of the San Francisco Free Clinic.

95 Years of Impact: Richard Gibbs
Emily Barnard
95 Years of Impact: Jeff Orlowski-Yang

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 Jeff Orlowski-Yang’s story—an Emmy Award–Winning filmmaker and environmental advocate—who attended Camp Rising Sun in 1999 and 2000.

95 Years of Impact: Jeff Orlowski-Yang
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LAJF Leadership Address

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LAJF Leadership Address

The summer of 2020 saw us hold our first-ever virtual alumni reunion! Included in this blog you will find opening remarks from LAJF Executive Director Helene Mattera and LAJF Board President Tim Wong as they share their comments on the state of the organization and its future.

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Virtual CRS in Review

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Virtual CRS in Review

We have concluded our first ever Virtual CRS, and our campers are excited to tell you all about it! Our Virtual CRS blog project group worked hard on putting together a daily recap, favorite VCRS memories from all campers, and topical articles for you all to learn from. If you’ve been curious what Virtual CRS looked like, now’s your chance to learn all about it!

The news is personal to us

The news is personal to us

I am drawn back to our core value “to develop in promising young people from diverse backgrounds a lifelong commitment to sensitive and responsible leadership for the betterment of their communities and the world.” So I am reaching out to you today both as a single alum and as the leader of LAJF to invite you to discuss what does “lifelong commitment” look like in light of what is happening?

CRS Alumni Directory

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.