Emily Barnard
Why I Give Back to CRS - A Letter from Evan ...

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.

Why I Give Back to CRS - A Letter from Evan Schwartz
Emily Barnard
Be the Roots that Support Ethical Leaders - ...

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.

Be the Roots that Support Ethical Leaders - Letter from Executive Director, Barry Fulton
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
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Curriculum in Focus: An educational framework designed for success

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Curriculum in Focus: An educational framework designed for success

For 90 years, the Louis August Jonas Foundation has been committed to helping young people grow intellectually, ethically, and globally through Camp Rising Sun, our full-scholarship, summer leadership program for teenagers from around the world. In the upcoming weeks, we will take a deeper look at our curriculum, which has inspired in so many young people worldwide, a commitment to compassionate and responsible leadership for the betterment of their communities and the world.

In this issue, we will focus on our educational framework, which is based on fostering independent learning and on emotional intelligence for compassionate leadership

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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!

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.