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.
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.
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.
Today is #GivingTuesday, and we’re thinking a lot about what it truly means to “give.” Everyone in our global community gives and gives back in some way, and we are incredibly grateful. Read more and click make a Giving Tuesday gift.
The Camp Rising Sun application for the 2022 summer season is now available! We can’t wait to welcome you into our programs next summer. Click here for more information about the application process, upcoming info sessions and workshops to give you a sneak peek of our programs, qualifications, and to apply.
The weekend of October 22-24, we welcomed CRS alumni from 2019-2021 to our campus for a fall retreat! This is the first time since 2019 that we’ve had campers at Camp, and many were meeting in person for the first time if they took part in our Virtual CRS or Virtual Intensive series! Click to read more about the weekend and view our photos!
This past weekend we hosted our first in-person board retreat in two years! It was invigorating to have everyone all in one place, joining us from near and far. It shows the commitment and dedication that our board members have to our work and mission. Click to read more and see photos from the weekend!
During the second weekend of September, a large group of 1979-1981 alumni came together at our Red Hook campus for a weekend in the spirit of Camp Rising Sun! We are very grateful for the support of Camp Rising Sun and LAJF that the ’79-’81 cohort showed, and for the hard work that they put in. Click to see more pictures from the weekend!
Join us in welcoming Leo and Olivia — LAJF’s new social work interns! They’ll be supporting our programs, helping with camper selection, mental health for youth, and program inclusivity. Leo and Olivia are both current seniors at the New York University (NYU) Silver School of Social Work. We’re excited to have their unique experiences and perspectives on our team, so that we can continue to strengthen our program offerings and support for our participants. Click the link to read our interview with them!
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.
