All of us have at least one Nakanawa touchstone. For Elizabeth Lewis Sankovitch (TR 77), Camp provided her the opportunity to commune with and appreciate the nature around her. The lake, the woods, the sound of the frogs at night. “Connecting with nature has always provided me with a deep sense of peace.”
Elizabeth “loved being at camp for 8 weeks each summer with my camp friends”. She enjoyed challenging herself in all activities and during her 6 years as a camper earned club in Soccer, Tennis, Posture, Archery, Glee Club, Fencing, Sailing (Skipper), Horseback Riding (Tally-Ho) and Canoeing (War Canoe). To say Elizabeth was a busy and committed camper is an understatement.
Both of Elizabeth’s daughters, Laura Sankovitch King (TR 05) and Sarah Sankovitch (TR 10) were
campers. Laura for 10 summers and Sarah for 11 summers. Elizabeth said, “Knowing my daughters were
able to have the same wholesome opportunity I had to enjoy all that camp has to offer, and gain the Nakanawa spirit, made me so overjoyed.”
After graduating from Smith College with a B.A. in Economics and Government and a minor in American Studies, Elizabeth continued her education and earned her MBA in Marketing from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She lives in Evansville, IN with her husband Jeff and 2 cats recused by Laura. But Camp Nakanawa was never far from her mind.
“During COVID, our TR group started zoom visits. It was awesome to strike up our friendships again and revisit stories that made us laugh so hard the years melted away and we were silly 14-year-olds again”, said Elizabeth. She and several of her TR 77 friends attended Service Weekend in May of this year. “We all discussed how wonderful the Nature Hut programs have been for campers. We met with Margaret Hawkins Matens and asked how we could support this beloved activity to keep it alive for future campers.”
One of the gifts we all receive from Nakanawa is reflection – of our times there as young girls; as mothers, aunts, grandmothers of current campers; and as alumnae with hearts open to continue to give
back to this place we all hold dear. On her trip home in May, Elizabeth thought of ways to contribute to nature programs at camp. “Appreciating the natural world around us is critical to girls’ character
development, mental health, and lifelong curiosity. To this day, I see Margaret’s influence in the lives of my daughters as they fearlessly pick up a snake, stop to watch an insect, rescue a critter or advocate for environmental preservation.”
Elizabeth and her daughters joined together to make a generous donation to camp designating their gift for the purchase of an incubator for baby animals, as well as other Nature Hut supplies, programs, and building projects for both Junior and Senior camps. They believe the awe of flora and fauna fostered at Nakanawa helps campers grow in their love of nature and become champions of saving our precious planet. They gave the gift in honor of Margaret Hawkins Matens who left a positive imprint on each of their lives as a Senior riding counselor for Elizabeth and the Junior Nature Hut counselor for Laura and Sarah.
We thank all three of you for your continued support of Nakanawa and wish Elizabeth well in her retirement as she and her husband Jeff fulfill their quest to visit every United States National Park. As she so passionately shared, “Nature = peace, peace, peace!”
