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In This Issue:
A Community of Belonging: Letter from Director of Programs Jenn Zanger
Celebrating the CRS Boys and Non-Binary Session!
What Stayed With You From Camp? Give to the Ring by Ring Campaign.
Meet Our 2026-2027 GEJ Scholarship Recipients
Alums Returning to Camp! Visit from Activist Dominika Lasota (CRS '18)
Upcoming Events
A Community of Belonging
What a privilege it has been to witness this global community in action throughout the summer! I am feeling humbled, honored, and full of joy to be here, as my first season as Director of Programs at LAJF comes to a close.
Over the course of the two sessions, I had the chance to watch campers step in and step up: taking on leadership, supporting one another, trying things they had never done before, and discovering strengths they may not have known they had. Together, campers and staff built communities rooted in belonging, where young people were encouraged to expand their comfort zones, take healthy risks, and learn through experience. There was space to make mistakes, celebrate successes, ask difficult questions, and grow alongside one another.
None of this happens by accident. I am incredibly grateful to our Camp leadership and summer staff, whose care, creativity, and commitment created the conditions for our campers to thrive. They met young people where they were, helped them build on their strengths, and modeled the kind of compassionate and ethical leadership we hope campers will carry forward themselves.
I have been inspired by the depth and breadth of programming that has enabled campers to learn and lead. Teamworks – caring for our community each day; Projects – camper-generated legacy projects that make our campus more functional and more beautiful (the 20-foot bridge built by the Girls & Non-Binary campers is exceptional!); Instructions – spanning the wide range of the arts and culinary to discussions on the morality of war and the impact of Nationalism. Evening Programs topped off each day with programs as celebratory as the Variety Show, workshops on intersectionality, polycrisis, beauty standards, and so much more. And of course, each week included the much anticipated weekly tradition of storytelling and honoring the legacy of Rising Sun through Council.
Coming into CRS for the first time this year, I had heard so much about the traditions, relationships, and sense of community that have defined Camp for generations. Experiencing them firsthand has given me an even deeper appreciation for what has been built here for almost 100 years. This summer, the legacy of Camp Rising Sun shone brightly, while a new generation of young people made it distinctly their own.
Congratulations and thank you to everyone who made Summer 2026 such a phenomenal one!
With excitement and gratitude, Jenn Zanger Director of Programs, LAJF
Celebrating the Boys & Non-Binary Session
Yesterday marked the final day of our 2026 Boys and Non-Binary session! Over the past four weeks, campers from around the world have built community, stepped into leadership, challenged themselves, shared their cultures, and left their own mark on Camp Rising Sun.
From Council, Nature Trip, and Variety Show to camper-led Instructions on everything from K-Pop and Dutch Sign Language to AI and identity, the session was full of opportunities to learn from one another. Campers also rolled up their sleeves on Projects across campus, shared songs from home during karaoke, and found countless ways to lead, collaborate, and try something new.
As campers transition from Camp back to their home communities, we are celebrating all that they have built together and the friendships and lessons they’ll keep with them.
Explore photo highlights and read more about the session:
And be sure to follow us on social media — Instagram,Facebook, andLinkedIn! During the session, we shared some fantastic videos created by campers that take us inside beloved CRS traditions. You don't want to miss these!
What Stayed With You From Camp? Give to the Ring by Ring Campaign.
Ask alumni what they carried with them from Camp Rising Sun or TELE, and no two answers are quite the same: lifelong friendships, confidence, new perspectives, lessons in leadership, and a deeper understanding of themselves and the world.
Hear from alumni across the years about what stayed with them:
Alumni from 1953, 1954, 1960, 1964, 1966, 1979, 1983, 1988, 1998, and 2015 have made their mark through generous giving to our Ring by Ring campaign.
CRS and TELE alums, as well as their families and friends, are honoring the years that shaped them by helping to create those same opportunities for the generations of campers coming next.
Don't see your year yet? Rally your campmates, find your ring, and help add your year to nearly a century of CRS history. Make a gift before our campaign ends on September 30!
We are proud to introduce this year's recipients of the George E. Jonas (GEJ) Scholarship (in order from left to right): Linda Arnoldus, Janyl Djusupova, Dilshod Hamroboev, Woohyun Kwen, Olena Lebedieva, Carla Martinez Becerra, and Kai Velazquez.
These scholars are alums or former staff members of Camp Rising Sun and The Ethical Leadership Experience. Each of these young leaders represents the values of Rising Sun and the vision of our founder, George E. Jonas. The GEJ Scholarship provides tuition support to alums and former staff members pursuing higher education, helping them carry forward the mission of building ethical, compassionate leaders in their communities and beyond.
Visit our blog to learn more about this year's scholars:
From Camper to Climate Activism Leader: Dominika Lasota Returns to CRS
This summer, we had the pleasure of welcoming Dominika Lasota (CRS ’18) back to Camp Rising Sun to spend time with and speak to our current campers.
Since her summer at CRS eight years ago, Dominika has become a prominent young voice in climate activism, connecting climate action with democracy, economic justice, European security, and solidarity with Ukraine. In 2022, she co-founded Inicjatywa WSCHÓD (“Sunrise”), a youth-led organization building civic power in Eastern Europe.
Her return offered today’s campers a powerful example of the many paths leadership can take after CRS, and what it can mean to carry your values, questions, and convictions beyond Camp and into the world.
As Camp Director Sonia Wargacka shared:
“Dominika's story is particularly powerful for Camp Rising Sun because it illustrates something CRS hopes to cultivate: a young person discovering their own capacity to lead - and then using it to make change in the world.”
Thank you, Dominika, for returning to where your own CRS journey began and sharing your experiences with the next generation of campers!
Upcoming Events
Career & Community Connections: Climate, Environment, and Sustainability Wednesday, September 16 | 9:00-10:30am or 6:30-8:00pm EST | Virtual Register Here
Connect with fellow CRS & TELE alumni working in — or curious about — careers in climate, environment, and sustainability. Whether you’re exploring your path, early in your journey, or bringing years of experience, join us for a relaxed, virtual gathering featuring small-group conversations and light facilitation.
As always, these Zoom sessions are designed to be flexible — drop in for a few minutes, stay for the full time, or anything in between.
This is part of our monthly Career & Community Connections series:
—October 21: Law, Justice & Human Rights —November 18: Healthcare & Public Health
We hope you’ll join one (or both!) sessions to meet peers, exchange insights, and build cross-generational connections across the LAJF, CRS, and TELE communities.
Open September Board Meeting Saturday, September 26 | 9:00am-12:00pm EST | Virtual Join the Zoom Meeting Here
Our community is invited to tune in to our September Board Meeting via Zoom. You can access the Zoom meeting by clicking the link above at the time of the event. The meeting will take place from 9am to 12pm EST.
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