Cleaning up along Lake Aloaloa’s shoreline with docks and calm water in the background.
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Come On and Join Our Fun: Nakanawa Service Weekend 2025

Wood-burning medals and name tags, sitting around a table inside a rustic camp cabin.
A volunteer holding a flowerpot filled with vibrant blooms on the camp’s welcoming porch.
Ties Service Weekend
register here

Every summer at Camp Nakanawa is filled with memories that last a lifetime, and you can help set the stage for this year’s campers during our 2025 Service Weekend. From May 16–18, we invite you to join us for a weekend of camaraderie, light work, and meaningful contributions that will ensure camp is ready for the summer ahead.

What We Do

During Service Weekend, participants take part in a variety of tasks, including:

  • Creating Amazon and Valkyrie ties that will be cherished by campers during team events.
  • Planting flowerpots to welcome visitors and brighten campgrounds.
  • Wood-burning medals and counselor name tags, adding a handcrafted touch to camp traditions.
  • Other light tasks to keep Camp Nakanawa as beautiful and welcoming as ever.

Whether you’re a seasoned camper or joining us for the first time, Service Weekend is a chance to give back and reconnect with the “Spirit of Nakanawa.”

It’s Not All Work!

There’s plenty of time to enjoy the camp’s natural beauty. Take a peaceful walk along Lake Aloaloa, unwind in your favorite quiet spot, or reminisce with friends about summers past. The balance of work and play makes this weekend a truly rewarding experience.

How to Join

Registration for Service Weekend 2025 is open! Be sure to mark May 16–18, 2025 on your calendar, and plan to join us for a weekend filled with purpose and fun. Together, we can ensure that this summer’s campers enjoy the unforgettable magic of Camp Nakanawa.

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A Season of Nakanawa Magic: Slideshow Season

🎶 “Oh, the campfires are calling, calling to me…” 🎶

Our Nakanawa slideshow season was unprecedented! We are so encouraged by how many new campers will be joining us this summer and want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to our incredible slideshow hostesses and city representatives who made this possible. Your dedication to sharing the Spirit of Nakanawa has been nothing short of inspiring.

Special thanks to our amazing city representatives:
Kate Miller Short (Birmingham, AL), Catherine McPhilips Inge (Mobile, AL), Courtney Black (Little Rock, AR), Anne Peden Robertson Watts (Atlanta, GA), Vica Bourque (Decatur, GA), Katy Mallory (Decatur, GA), Neill Myers Caudill (Bowling Green, KY), Brittany Rampick Setton (New Orleans, LA), Anne Summerour (New Orleans, LA), Margaret McPhillips (Jackson, MS), Emily Richardson Blake (Oklahoma City, OK), Samantha Lunn (Chattanooga, TN), Blair Mayfield Rissing (Franklin, TN), Simonne Brown Wortham (Knoxville, TN), Katie Johnson (Nashville, TN), Ashley Thomas Smith (Nashville, TN), Marly Moate Page (Austin, TX), Julia Broadbent (Dallas, TX), Ashley Stewart Wilson (Dallas, TX), Megan Thompson Lovoi (Houston, TX), Allison Hayne (San Antonio, TX), Carol Kennedy McCormack (Alexandria, VA), Laura Layman Lazarevich (Northern Virginia, VA), Mary Baker Baker (Norfolk, VA), Rankin Sims Livingston (Columbia, SC), and Martha Layman McKechnie (Harrisonburg, VA).

Your efforts to host, support, and share the magic of Camp Nakanawa have helped us reach new campers and their families, ensuring the legacy of Nakanawa continues for generations to come.

🎶 “Happy are we at Nakanawa!” 🎶

As we reflect on this season of joy and connection, we are filled with gratitude for everyone who participated in making this slideshow season such a success.

Interested in hosting a future slideshow in your hometown?
Email Blair at blairrissing@gmail.com to learn more about bringing the Nakanawa magic to your community!

🌲✨ #CampNakanawa #HappyAreWe #NakanawaForever #SlideshowSuccess

Fall sunset on Lake Aloaloa
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Karen’s Corner: It’s Fall, Y’All!

Hello Nakanawa friends,

I hope this finds you well and filled with the same warmth and enthusiasm that embodies the “Spirit of Nakanawa.” On behalf of the entire Nakanawa family, I’d like to take a moment to express my deep sorrow regarding the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene on many members of our Camp community. I can’t begin to imagine what you are going through, but please know that my heart goes out to you during this incredibly difficult time.

Here in Crossville, I’m pleased to share some wonderful highlights with you from the past few months. Our recent Mother-Daughter Weekend was a resounding success, filled with laughter, bonding, and memorable experiences that truly embodied what Camp is all about. Close to 70 campers participated in new activities while making new friends, all led by enthusiastic counselors who joined us from TR 24 and 25.

Additionally, we’ve rented out our facilities to various organizations. The joy of sharing Camp with diverse groups amplifies our celebration of community. Looking ahead, we’re also excited about our ongoing counselor recruitment efforts and are committed to hiring individuals who embody the heart and soul of Nakanawa. 

As we continue to build on this foundation of goodwill and friendship, I’m filled with gratitude for each of you who contribute to our Camp family. Together, we are ensuring that the spirit of Nakanawa remains alive and flourishing for generations to come.

In the Spirit of Nakanawa,

Karen

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Introducing The Camp Nakanawa Collection by Satchel

The Camp Nakanawa Collection by Satchel

You can tell a Nakanawa girl by charm, style — and now, you’ll be able to tell with brand new leather goods and accessories! Camp Nakanawa is thrilled to announce a new partnership with Satchel, a renowned handbag brand founded in 2006 by designer and Camp alumna Elizabeth Seeger (TR 2000). 

Based in Savannah, GA, Satchel features a wide variety of custom bags and leather goods, ranging from totes and clutches to crossbody bags and wallets. Each piece is meticulously handcrafted with an attention to detail that reflects the passion, dedication, and artistry of the team that creates them. Learn more about Elizabeth (a three-time Arts & Crafts medalist!) and her Satchel crew here.

The beauty of these products is even more unique with The Camp Nakanawa Collection – created exclusively for our community. Best of all, Satchel has generously pledged to donate 20% of all sales back to Camp!

Here’s what to do:

  • Select your style. Choose from a range of leather products in Amazon Red or Valkyrie Blue. Or, if you’re looking for something more neutral and natural, select from Sycamore Tan, Meadowview Green, or Medal Winner Metallic Platinum. Whether you’re drawn to a spacious tote, an elegant clutch, or a practical crossbody, acquiring a Satchel bag means owning a piece of art that tells a story – about you, and about the heart of Nakanawa.
  • Place your order by November 17 to guarantee production and holiday delivery time. When you make a purchase, you’re not only acquiring a beautiful, handcrafted item made in Savannah, Georgia, but also contributing to Camp Nakanawa’s mission.
  • Spread the word about this new way to support Camp Nakanawa on social media! Share a photo of your custom #CampNakSatchel accessories and tag @SatchelSavannah on Instagram, Facebook, and We can’t wait to see these exclusive Camp Nakanawa pieces out and about!

This partnership helps us connect with our Camp Nakanawa community. and enables us to continue providing unforgettable experiences for generations of campers to come.

We are deeply grateful for Elizabeth’s dedication and the generous support from Satchel.

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All hail and Farewell to Lyn Brantley

All hail and Farewell to Lyn Brantley

I am very pleased to pass the gavel to Wyeth Outlan Burgess (TR 75) who will serve as the 2024 President of the Board of Directors of Camp Nakanawa. It has truly been an honor to devote time and effort to Nakanawa as the Board President. The title was, after all, a significant upgrade to my Nakanawa resume which included Path Sweeper, Marshmallow Stick Finder, Council Ring Brave, Assistant to the Wild Woman, and Head of Evening Entertainment.

But seriously. I invite you to take a look at the 2021-2024 Nakanawa Strategic Plan (available on the website under Giving/Support Camp Nakanawa) to see what we’ve been doing.  In a very short time, we have made great strides forward, already accomplishing many of our goals and we are well on track to complete the others.

Our success is only possible through the dedication and hard work of many. Thanks to Ann and Pepe whose magnificent gift of the camp grounds and facilities with the vision to ensure that our camp has another hundred years of history, launched us on the non-profit path. Thank you to Karen Hale for coming onboard as the Executive Director and adding to her already thorough camp knowledge. Stop and look at page 173 of your Nakanawa History book to see a photograph of Karen Hale in 1980 with two future Nakanawa board members, all wearing red and yes, I am on her left.

Thank you to everyone in the office and on the year-round staff for being on the front lines. You are critical to meeting the many daily challenges. Nakanawa’s Board of Directors is filled with strong, smart, and experienced leaders who will carry us forward. Thank you to Wyeth Outlan Burgess, Sally Tubb Welch, Ginny Bass Carl, Georgia Graham Mattern, Pamela Griffiths Pabian, Mary Shearer Baker, Amanda Forgason Dempsey, and Jeff Blake. Thank you to the Committees of the Board for, literally, a thousand hours of your time, enthusiasm, and energy. Finally, a thank you to each camper, counselor, and person who has given time, thoughts, effort and financial support to Nakanawa. Please continue to attend great events like service weekend, reunion, or mother daughter weekend 

If you’ve been away from camp for a while, it’s time to come back. What you remember – working hard in activities, rooting for your team, and laughing endlessly with your friends – is still here. Come and listen to the teams cheering, or the gravel around the cabins crunching, or the bell ringing, or the door to Egypt slamming. Come and walk on the big beautiful new Junior Camp docks or sit on the Senior Crow’s Nest for a perfect Camp Nakanawa sunset. There is nothing else like it, anywhere.

Best, Lyn Brantley

TR’81