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Sow the Seeds: A Successful Spring Campaign

Our Sow the Seeds campaign was a wonderful success, thanks to everyone who joined in the fun and friendly competition! Together, our camp community raised an incredible $55,309 to help prepare Camp Nakanawa for another fun-filled summer.

The Amazons led the way in number of donors, with 63 supporters contributing a total of $20,900, while the Valkyries claimed victory in dollars raised, bringing in an amazing $34,409 from 56 donors! Congratulations to both teams!

We are deeply grateful to every alumna, camper family, parent, and friend who helped “sow the seeds” for another summer of memories at camp. Because of your generosity, camp is ready to welcome girls once again.

And as an added celebration — with the success of this campaign, we officially met and surpassed our $200,000 Annual Fund goal!

 

With appreciation to our Spring Campaign 2026 Contributors:

Carrie Accardi

Katie Arminio

Mary Baker

Claire Battle

Dana Beer

Anne Bergen

Mary Beth Berry

Emily Blake

Mary Blaydes

Laura Boteler

Lee Boyd

Susan Brown

May and John Bumpus

Nancy Burgess

Wyeth Burgess

Julie Burlingame

Embree Burvant

Ginny Carl

Kathryn Carrington

Macol Cerda

Molly Cook

Cilie Cowin

Allison Davis

Susie Davis

Patty Delony

Amanda Dempsey

Claire Dold

Sally Dunning

Cameron Estes

Mary Conly Fakier

Mollie Gaines

Linda Garrett

Ashley Geary

Lacey Gilliam

Mallory Gratch

Belle Jingle Hagey

Karen Hale

Mary Hall

Stirling Halversen

Lora Hammons

Brittany Hart

 

Elizabeth Healy

Fran Heller

Janet Heller

Elizabeth Hickman

Katherine Hill

Germaine Horner

Brook Howard

Bitsy Anne Hudnall

Margarita Inserni

Diane Irvin

Camille Jackson

Eleanor Johnson

Emily Jones

Kelly Kavalier

Frazer Kelly

Alex Kimbrell

Lucie King

Sydney Labuy

Shelly Landau

Margaret Leatherbury

Olivia Little

Priscilla Lupe

Twinker Mason

Georgia Mattern

Emily Maynard

Mary Margaret McCord

Carol McCormack

Julia and Doug McDonald

Terry McKee

Alison Meacham

Elizabeth Mercer and Samuel Hewitt

Lauren Mitchell

Sally Moore

David Moritz

Tricia Nelson

Lucia Outlan

Mary Lou O’Keefe

Pamela Pabian

Lolla Page

Brooke Parker

Karen Parrish

Amalia Pérez Del Pulgar

Margaret Phelps

Margaret Queen

Kimberly Regan

Alison Reilly

Anne Riegle

Blair Rissing

Sarah Robbins and Eugene Westphal

Sharon Roberts

Frances Roy

Ellen Ruffin

Eleanor Rushing

Virginia Russell

Elizabeth Ryll

Amy Scheiber

Sheldon Schmidt

Karen Schneider

Renee Seblatnigg

Brittany Settoon

Babbie Shelton

Blakeley Sisk

Camille Small

Lil Smith

Nan and Gilbert Smith

Margaret Stein

Carroll Summerour

Charlotte Taylor

Chris Thompson

Barbara Turner

Ann Upchurch

Amy Vanburkleo

Carol Vig

Shannon Walsh

Julia Walter

Sally Welch

Lynn Williams

Elizabeth Wilson

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Service and Smiles: Another Successful Service Weekend in the Books

The weather was perfect for this year’s Service Weekend, welcoming alumnae back to camp with light breezes and beautiful sunshine. Almost 60 women, spanning Tent Rows from the 60s to the 2010s, came together to help prepare camp for the summer sessions. Tent Row ’81 joined us for their reunion, adding to the fun.

On Friday night Cindy DuBose briefed the group on exciting developments at camp: new security gates for Junior and Senior Camps, drainage and safety improvements in Junior Camp including new stairs alongside the Council House, a new Perry Weather system to alert everyone of possible dangerous weather, and improvements – already underway! – for Senior Egypt. All of this work will make camp safer and more enjoyable for our campers. 

Camp was abuzz Saturday with projects. From planting and weeding to painting gates and cabins, attendees pushed up their sleeves to make Nakanawa look her very best. We also took time during the day to write notes of gratitude to our counselors who will guide campers through their camp experiences. 

Whether first-time attendees or Service Weekend regulars, everyone headed home with new friends, special memories, and a renewed connection to the spot we all hold dear. Save the date for next year’s event: May 14-16. We’d love to have you join us!
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Cheerio, Ching-Ching… Thank you, Britney!

Britney Sink

We are saying THANK YOU and farewell to Nakanawa’s first ever Development Director, Britney Sink. Under her leadership, Camp has run two awesome campaigns for our annual fund – “Fall in Love With Camp” and “Sow the Seeds for a Successful Summer,” helping us exceed our $200,000 annual fund goal.  Additionally, she has organized and streamlined our processes, cleaned up our database, made connections with Camp supporters, raised funds for capital improvements, and laid the foundation for future fundraising success at Nakanawa. She did all of this with grace and energy while also learning the esoteric vernacular and unique traditions of Camp.  Though we will miss her, we wish her the best in her new opportunity with a community college near her hometown!

With Britney’s departure, we are looking for the right person to step into her role.  Here is the link to the job description: DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT. Please share with anyone you think would be a great fit for this position on the Nakanawa team.

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One Hundred Summers, One Hundred Junior Stories

For a hundred summers, the lake at Junior has been teaching young girls who they are — one counselor, one cabin, one tiny act of courage at a time. As we celebrate 100 Years of Junior Camp in 2026, we’re inviting every camper and counselor who ever called Junior home to add her voice to the story.

This summer, Nakanawa is celebrating the 100th birthday of Junior Camp, with alumni events during Reunion Weekend, July 17–19. The first edition of the JUNIOR BIRTHDAY BOOK is going to press now so it can be in camp this summer, dedicated with love to three longtime Heads of Junior: Katie Moise, Casey Fisher, and Louise Boteler. Inside are 65 pages of Junior history, Mitch and Ann Perron’s memories of Junior, songs and poems, and a range of stories from 100 years of Junior campers and counselors — and we’re already planning a second edition after camp, with even more voices included.

Stories we’re already carrying

Our new centennial video, “100 Summers at Junior Camp,” gathers a few of the stories that show what Junior Camp really is. You’ll meet:

  • A small, determined swimmer named Katie, whose counselor Maria Kane stayed with her in the Pen, stroke by stroke, until she could pass the swim test — a memory she still calls a “core” part of her life because she felt so deeply loved.

  • Karen, who flew in from Dallas in 1976, only to have her trunk fall apart on the baggage carousel — and Casey quietly gathered her things, found another trunk, and had it waiting in her cabin before she ever had to worry.

  • Alumnae, Flossie Sonneland and Nancy McDonald, remember their fellow camper, Debbie, born with a heart defect, whose parents were brave enough to send her to Junior for eight weeks; she swam in the lake until she turned blue, let her counselors care for her, and kept coming back year after year.

These are only a few of a hundred stories, and they all circle the same truth: at Junior Camp, a counselor’s steady presence can be the difference between a scared girl and a brave one. Now we want your story to stand alongside theirs.

Share your Junior Camp story

We are creating the Second Edition of the JUNIOR BIRTHDAY BOOK, and that means we are actively collecting new stories right now. Here’s how to add yours:

  • Who can submit: Any current or past Junior camper or counselor.

  • What we’re looking for: Stories that describe an important person or tradition, or that remind us of a special time in Junior Camp — life‑changing or light‑hearted, both are welcome.

  • Length: Up to 500 words (space is limited), but every story will be saved whether or not it appears in the book.

  • Next deadline: July 30, 2026.

Please email your story to one of our editors:

Questions about the book itself can go to Margaret Matens at margaretmatens@gmail.com.

Watch the video and then add your voice

One hundred summers deserve far more than one book and one film — they deserve a chorus. Help us fill the next edition of the JUNIOR BIRTHDAY BOOK with the people, traditions, and moments that made you who you are.

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Alumnae Spotlight: Caroline Hallemann

Caroline Hallemann, TR 2006 and former counselor, has turned the quiet reading and writing habits she honed at camp into a career in media. She is now an editor at Town & Country and the author of The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made. Caroline shares more about the role Nakanawa has played in her life and work.

For Caroline Hallemann TR 06, the path to Nakanawa began with a simple visit to Lake Aloaloa alongside her childhood friend, Lauren Riegle (Mitchell), and Lauren’s mother, Anne.

“I just loved it,” she recalls warmly. That initial spark turned into a decade-long tradition. “Every summer, Lauren and I would drive to Nakanawa together with our moms, starting with the two-week session before eventually transitioning over to the full four weeks.” Though she was the first in her immediate family to become a Nakanawa girl, she quickly discovered that camp would become one of the most formative chapters of her life.

“I not only made amazing friends, but it taught me independence and how to live and work with people different from myself,” she reflects.

During her ten summers, she fully immersed herself in camp life. She proudly repped the Amazon team, happily sang in Glee Club, and discovered a deep passion for Arts & Crafts, eventually becoming the Arts & Crafts medalist during her TR 2006 summer and going on to teach Arts & Crafts as a counselor. But camp also offered her some early lessons in perseverance.

If anyone from TR ’06 is reading this, they know it isn’t an exaggeration to say that I wasn’t the most athletic camper,” she jokes. “But that didn’t stop me from playing softball and tennis and swimming in the lake. That grit has become essential to my work ethic.

When she looks back, her most treasured memories are a beautiful mix of performance thrills and quiet, soulful traditions—from the excitement of performing the TR 06 camp dance to the peaceful magic of Valkyrie Vespers. “The Valkyrie Lullaby is still one of my favorite camp songs,” she shares. And, she admits with a smile that few things matched the collective excitement of walking into the dining hall on pizza lunch days.

But there was another, quieter camp tradition that quietly shaped her future: Rest Hour. “I might not have fully appreciated it then, but what a gift it was to take an hour every day for rest, reading, and writing. I’ve always loved books, but having that dedicated time only solidified an early passion.”

That passion beautifully foreshadowed her professional path. During her college years at Wake Forest University, she resisted her father’s practical suggestions to take business classes, trusting her instincts instead to major in English. After exploring internships across newspapers, university press publishing, and public relations, she found her true calling in digital journalism in New York City.

Today, she channels that lifelong love of words into her role as the Digital Director and Editor for Town & Country magazine, leading the editorial vision for their website.

Fulfilling a long-held dream, she is also about to become a published author. Her non-fiction book, The Kennedys and the Windsors, hits shelves this summer on June 2. The book—a dual biography of the Kennedy family and the British royals—is the culmination of years of hard work, and her favorite chapter to research feels remarkably connected to the spirit of camp.

One I loved researching follows Jacqueline Bouvier—the future Jackie Kennedy—as she covered Queen Elizabeth’s coronation for the Washington Times-Herald,” she shares. “Back then, they were two young women on the brink of exceptional lives, which reminds me a lot of Nakanawa girls and all their potential.

Today, life is a beautiful, busy balancing act. When she isn’t editing or writing books, she loves to read, watch TV, and spend time with her husband and their two-year-old son, Tommy, who keeps her on her toes.

Though she lives a fast-paced life in the media world, the bonds formed on the shores of Lake Aloaloa remain unbreakable. She returned to camp in 2019 for the unforgettable Centennial Celebration, and the old magic is very much alive this season as she prepares for her twenty year reunion. “I wish we talked more often, but we are currently planning our TR reunion for this summer, so I can’t wait to catch up with everyone,” she says.

Decades after those childhood road trips from Nashville, the lessons of grit, creativity, and community continue to guide her. For this TR 06 alumna, the spirit of Nakanawa remains a grounding force—a reminder of the potential inside every young woman, and a spark she carries into every story she tells.

Caroline’s first book, The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made, will be released on June 2 and is available through Penguin Random House and Amazon. She is looking forward to returning to Crossville this summer to celebrate her 20th Tent Row reunion with TR 2006. If you would like to mark your own Nakanawa reunion year, you can learn more and register on our Ties, Reunions, and Events page here.

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WO-HE-LO WARDROBE REFRESH

Nakanawa families, are you ready to gear up for Summer 2026? New Camp Nakanawa uniforms and spirit wear are now available in two camp stores so you can arrive at the Cove ready for all the fun, Wo-He-Lo, and traditions ahead.

From our TGI Store, you can order new uniforms, sweats, skorts and quarter-zip jackets in classic Nakanawa style. These items can be shipped to your home ahead of time or waiting for you at Camp when you arrive. All TGI orders are due by May 26, and the link is on our website.

Our Camp Square Store, also linked on the website, has fun new spirit items including embroidered sweatshirts, sticker packets, a pennant t-shirt and sweatpants—perfect for showing your Nakanawa spirit all year long. These items are pick-up only at camp, so you can scoop them up once you’re on the mountain with your cabin friends.

Stock is limited, and the order deadline is May 26 for the TGI Store, so be sure to visit the website, explore both stores, and get your camper (and alumnae and parents!) outfitted in team colors or camp green and ready to sing, cheer, and play all summer long. Wo-He-Lo—Work, Health, Love—see you at Camp Nakanawa soon!

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Best Ever Service Weekend:

Senior Dining Hall Mural Restoration

Though we have standard Service Weekend projects (wood burning name tags, cutting team ties, sweeping cabins), we often complete a unique task. One year, we finished restoring the mural in the Senior Dining Hall, a piece of history that every camper remembers. 

In 1934, the Valkyrie team gift to Camp was Masonite panels on which counselor Edith “Ely” Mahier drew a panorama depicting Valkyrie Rock on one end and Amazon Rock on the other. In addition to the lake, cabins and key buildings, she included Colonel Rice, Annie Hayes and Mrs. Martin. Along the lower edge, Ely added native Tennessee plants and wildflowers. She selected Senior campers to help fill in the colors. They spent weeks painting the mural and were allowed to sign their names. When the old Dining Hall was replaced, Ely’s mural was carefully saved and installed in the building we know today. 

Ely’s Mural Restored: Fast forward to 1979-80, a gap year I spent at Nakanawa while my husband Jack finished a master’s degree at Tennessee Tech. One project on Mitch’s list was a restoration of Ely’s mural. Its colors had faded over the decades in the weather. Working in mittens during wintry months, I retraced Eli’s outlines and added back bright camp colors. The scenes came to life with white-white shirts, true red and blue ties, green canoes and colorful details. I added a legend to record a bit of the history. 

Service Weekends Matter! 2010 provides an example of a particularly worthwhile Service Weekend for our mural. Across the bottom of the panels, the Tennessee plants and flowers, along with the artists’ names, had also faded beyond recognition. A group of artistic Service Weekend volunteers repainted the Tennessee flora I had come to know and proved their sleuthing skills on missing artists’ names. 

Nakanawa catalogs from the 1930s helped us “break the code.”  We made a list of fragments we could decipher: “First name starts with G or C and ends in a T! Last name ends in LY!” We cheered as we solved the puzzle, identifying and repainting every name, including that of Elisabeth Mitchell, a camper at the time of the mural’s creation.

One July Reunion Weekend years later, I noticed an older Nakanawa alumna studying the mural. Her mother had helped paint it, and she hoped to find her name. Sure enough, there it was, bright and clear!  She took a photo of the mural and a close-up of her mother’s name. That encounter shows how Service Weekends matter. 

– Margaret Matens

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Heart and Soles: More Than Just a Pair of Shoes

Sloan Mulloy, TR ’19, found a way to incorporate a special Nakanawa symbol into an exhibition for her graduate program. What may at first glance look like an ordinary pair of shoes holds a much deeper meaning for her. The exhibition was curated by the NYU Costume Studies’ Exhibition Praxis class. DIY Grrrl: Constructing, Disrupting, and Reclaiming Girlhood in the 1990s pairs archival material with contemporary works that demonstrate how girls and young women engage with do-it-yourself practices to form both personal and collective identities. According to Sloan, “From the beginning of this process, we as a team were always focused on the theme of girlhood and its expressions in material form. My memories from ten summers at Nakanawa helped shape this exhibition; during my Tent Row summer, I asked all my friends to sign my sneakers as a way to commemorate my last year as a camper. When we were first brainstorming ideas of what objects we wanted to include in our exhibition, I brought in a picture of my shoes to show the team. My professor fell in love with them and thought they embodied our ideas of girlhood and DIY, and our team decided they needed to be included in the show. I find it so special that these shoes were with me throughout the entire process of creating this exhibition, and they truly serve as a testament to Nakanawa’s role in the experiences of girlhood.” The display includes the description below:

Vans (1966 – present)
Signed Sneakers belonging to Sloan Mulloy, 2019
Cotton, rubber, plastic
Personal Collection of Sloan Mulloy

This pair of size 5.5 high-top sneakers features the signatures and drawings of nearly thirty teenage girls. Created over the course of a four-week summer camp session, the act of inscription transformed these shoes into a repository of their memories. Both a personal object in their own right and a historic relic frozen in time, this pair of shoes embodies collective memory, the desire for close-knit connection, and an expression of female friendship.

If you find yourself in New York City before March 7, you can visit the exhibit at 80WSE Gallery at 80 Washington Square E, New York, 10003. 

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Alumnae Spotlight: Laura Layman Lazarevich

When the South Loudoun Youth Chorale (SLYC) dismisses for the evening, the energy spilling out of the rehearsal space is palpable. Students hum melodies as they shuffle out the door, still buzzing from practice. For Artistic Director, Laura Layman Lazarevich (TR 03), this is the clearest sign that the organization she co-founded just three years ago has become something more than an after-school program. It’s a community.

With Elizabeth Tual Hobbes and Catherine McPhillips Inge in 2000.

Laura, a former high school choir teacher with fourteen years of experience, launched SLYC at a pivotal moment. In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, school choir programs across Northern Virginia were struggling to regain their footing. Enrollment had dipped, student confidence had faltered, and many music educators were facing unprecedented challenges rebuilding the collaborative culture essential to ensemble singing.

“I realized that to truly support students and strengthen school programs, we needed an opportunity for young singers to connect outside the school day,” Laura said. “They needed a place where they could feel safe, grow their confidence, and develop as musicians.”

That realization became the foundation for SLYC. Today, the nonprofit serves 165 students in grades 3–12 across six ensembles, supplemented by summer camps and audition workshops aimed at broadening access to music education. The organization’s mission rooted in four values, Serve, Lead, spread joY, and Care, reflects Laura’s own upbringing and early exposure to the power of collective singing.

Raised in Charlottesville, Virginia, she grew up in a deeply musical family and spent nine summers at Nakanawa as a camper and three years as a counselor thanks to the women in her family who paved the way. Laura’s grandmother, Page Hart Boteler (TR 42 & 43), her mother Alice Boteler Layman (TR 69), and her two aunts, Louise Boteler (TR 70) and Laura Boteler Butchko (TR 76) were all Nakanawa girls. Laura credits her years at camp for “helping shape my leadership style and my understanding of what young people gain from shared musical experiences.” 

Playing cards on the Crow’s Nest, making up a form swimming song to the tune of the alphabet song with Catherine McPhillips (“Breast stroke, side stroke, elementary back, this is why we love Camp Nak!…”) and being crowned prom king and queen with Garland Quinn, “are some of my most treasured memories from camp,” Laura shared.

Career photo @choirwithlaura

She was a member of Octet alongside her sister, Martha Layman McKechnie (TR 06), taught choir and glee club, and embraced the close-knit environment that encouraged personal growth alongside artistic development. “Those traditions and values stuck with me,” she said. “They’re part of why I believe so strongly in the role the community plays in music-making.”

Laura has attended reunions, Service Weekend, and Mother-Daughter weekends with her daughter Claire (TR 35), sister Martha and niece Louise McKechnie (TR 36.) Her daughter and Martha’s daughters (including Page McKechnie, TR 41) will become fifth-generation Nakanawa campers, continuing the Boteler tradition. Laura’s nieces, Lindsey and Christina Butchko (TR17) filled the gap between Laura’s camping years and her daughter’s first summer. Seems there always was and always will be a Boteler at camp! 

Tent Row 2003 – I am in the middle row center with braided pigtails.

Away from rehearsals, Laura leads a busy family life. She and her husband, Pete, a civil engineer, are raising their two children. Carson is a fourth grader who enjoys piano and sports, and Claire is a second grader who divides her interests among gymnastics, animals, and singing. Their family spends much of their time outdoors, traveling, and staying active, often juggling a hectic but fulfilling schedule. 

As SLYC expands, its role in the region’s musical landscape continues to evolve. Laura and her team are already looking ahead, aiming to increase outreach, support more schools, and provide additional pathways for young musicians to grow. “Seeing these kids thrive reminds me why this work matters. Music builds resilience. It builds community. And right now, that feels more important than ever.” 

Britney Sink
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“How do you do, dear Britney, how do you do? Is there anything we can do for you?”

With tremendous excitement we introduce to you Camp Nakanawa’s Director of Development, Britney Sink! Were it July in Mayland, Britney Sink might hear the above ringing through the dining hall –with the clinking of glasses — to greet her at her first meal at Camp. Alas, it is September, we are not at Camp, so this introduction will have to stand in for our singing. 


Britney has more than sixteen years of experience driving growth, engagement, and impact for purpose-driven organizations. Her superpower is strategy. Skilled in both high-level planning and hands-on execution, Britney is a natural problem solver, known for taking complex challenges and turning them into clear, actionable solutions. Passionate about building stronger, more effective nonprofits, she thrives where she can apply her expertise to create sustainability.


A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with degrees in International Studies and Spanish, Britney received her Master of Public Service degree from the University of Arkansas William J. Clinton School of Public Service. Britney has served on various nonprofit boards and enjoys being involved in her community. She has been recognized in Knoxville Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” and is a graduate of Leadership Blount and Leadership Knoxville. Originally from High Point, NC, Britney, her husband, and their daughter just moved to Greensboro, NC from Knoxville, TN.


Britney has been working with the Nakanawa Board and has met with our development committee. She has jumped right in and is excited to get to know more of the Nakanawa community. Those of us who have already had the pleasure of working with Britney cannot say enough good things about what she has contributed, in a very short time, to Camp’s mission and development strategies. We are so fortunate to have her join our team.

 

When asked what drew her to Camp Nakanawa, Britney replied, “I want to support and promote the development of women and girls so they have the best chance to make an impact in our world. Camp Nakanawa is building up girls in such a meaningful way, and I’m excited to use my skills to share that impact. With greater support, we can grow even further.” She added “Everyone I’ve met speaks about Camp with such passion. I’ve been impressed by the commitment of the board and alumnae who give their time and energy to make sure each summer is the best one yet. It’s clear Camp Nakanawa is a special place people care deeply about and are proud to carry forward.” WoHeLo, Britney!

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.

CategoriesAlumni, Camp News, Uncategorized by

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