April 15, 2020
I hope this letter finds you wrapped in the comfort and safety of your loved ones during these trying times.
It’s been three weeks since I last communicated with you about the dramatic impact of COVID-19 on our business. We reached out originally to share our concerns and the challenges we have been facing. Sadly, since that time, we’ve all borne witness to how this insidious virus is impacting our families, our communities and our way of life.
Despite the endless list of unknowns that’s halted life as we know it, I’m certain that whether you are here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or elsewhere throughout the world, the impact of the Coronavirus is one that we are experiencing together. This includes all of us in the Krinsky Universe – our staff, university partners, coaches, teachers, and our talented students and their families. We honor those of you who are facing these challenges and hope this finds you among the chosen few getting to revel in newfound time with your family.
In terms of our business, shared experiences and the safety of our students and all our stakeholders are what guide and inspire our work. Today I want to let you know that many of the challenges and unknowns expressed in my last letter to you have now been decided for us. The university partnerships confirmed summer closures, our international staff is unable to get visas, the uncertainty of travel and restrictions and limitations on gatherings still prevail.
Enriching the lives my students will forever be my life work, and my wife Tina and I are tremendously grateful for the life-long relationships we have formed with so many of you. However, at the age of 70, with equal parts sadness and accomplishment, I have decided to close Julian Krinsky Residential Camps & Programs – our residential enrichment programs in and around Philadelphia, and our campus partnerships with Penn, Haverford, Villanova & Yale just to name a few. For over 43 years we have designed and delivered countless and varied experiences, each focused on character and skills development for children and young adults. I am immensely proud of what we have built and the lives we have touched in the network that is the JKCP family, rendering this among the most challenging decisions I have ever made.
I am also both proud of, and grateful for, the team we have assembled. Our JKCP leadership team is tenured, dedicated, and ably led by Steve Robertson our CEO for the past 6 Years. I have been fortunate to work closely with Steve since he arrived from South Africa 22 years ago. I cannot emphasize enough his impact on our business.
Steve is eager to start anew in 2021 with a new brand and a new identity entirely separate from JKCP. I have tremendous confidence in Steve’s vision, his integrity and his energy. With his new venture Steve will emerge from this crisis, and will return to the task of identifying the most valuable and formative summer experiences for our children. As you consider programs for the summer of 2021, I hope you will include Steve Robertson Management, Camps and Programs StevenRobertsonManage
My tennis clubs will remain in business. We remain committed to ensuring our customers well being and safety at both of our Tennis Clubs locations at Gulph Mills Tennis Club & Narberth Racquet Club. These past weeks have given me the opportunity to recharge, revise and reimagine tennis programming that will better serve our loyal patrons. We look forward to reopening our clubs when permitted by the State of Pennsylvania in a manner that is deemed safe by our advisors.
I am reminded of the bygone eras of my life that gave me resilience and resolve to create this organization in the first place. When I embarked on my journey to America, I could only dream of a secure and prosperous future; let alone the joy of crossing paths with each and every one of you. What I know for sure is that life’s greatest treasures are often born from hardship and a desire to grow beyond our limitations, and based on my experience, I believe that desire is burning in all of us more brightly now than it ever has before.
Tina & I will always treasure the friendships, endless memories, outrageous fun, warmth of families from all over the world and the inspiration from students. These are our lives richest rewards and they are truly priceless to us.
Many years ago while I was teaching the late Kenny Rogers how to execute a drop shot, he reminded me, “You gotta know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.” In closing, I hope you’ll remember that this time of challenges holds great potential along with the chance to examine our goals, ambitions and priorities. Building a life in America was chief among mine at the inception of this organization I hold so dear, but in the absence of the triumph and challenges that feather our roads, optimism would evade.
With deepest gratitude, and the undying belief that our best days are laying just around the bend,
Julian Krinsky
Looking towards Overnight Camp for 2021 please consider
StevenRobertsonManage