Dear Kingswood Campers, Staff, Alumni, Families, and Friends, 

 

After weeks of consultation with experts in the fields of medicine and public health, conversations with other camp directors and much internal discussion, the Wipfler family and administrative team has come to the unanimous decision that Kingswood will be cancelling all sessions for the summer of 2020. 

 

Since the very beginning of the pandemic, we have closely followed communications from federal and state authorities, the American Camp Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among other sources. As more information has emerged, it has become clear that we cannot guarantee the safety and well-being of our camp community, which is a prerequisite for us to open camp.  

 

This decision was very painful for us to make. As a family, we have owned and operated Kingswood for 35 years. We have dedicated ourselves to the camping industry because we know the value of camp. We know that boys need a respite from the stresses and pressures of school life, a place away from home where they can gain independence and make new friends, a place full of opportunity and camaraderie. Like many of you or your sons, we dream about sunny summer days along the shores of Lake Tarleton. Camp without campers – without their smiling faces, without their constant chatter and laughter, without their raucous chanting in the dining halls, without their inexhaustible energy – is exceptionally hard to accept. But it is a decision we felt we needed to make.

 

As our normal routines got upended, many of us clung to the hope that summer would provide an escape and a return to “normal.” Trust us – we know your disappointment. While this will do little to smooth the pain, we want to let you know that we have plans in place to bring some of the levity and joys of camp to you virtually this summer (humorous “bits”, a live streamed egg drop, and counsel fires with live music and camp stories). Furthermore, we are already hard at work preparing to make 2021 the best summer in Kingswood history.

 

While we understand the financial hardships inherent in this moment in history, our hope is that families will opt to roll over any payments made for 2020 as credit towards 2021. This will secure a spot for 2021- a summer in which spaces will be in incredibly high demand- and will lock in the tuition at the 2020 rate. Families who choose this option will be greatly helping us to continue to keep our core staff employed and working to ever-improve our facility and program for 2021. For those who will request them, we will provide refunds that will be paid out between this June and next, at the earliest possible date. 

 

We appreciate the opportunity to work with each family individually to arrive at the best plan for both you and us as we move forward during this most unfortunate period of time.  We’ll be back in touch soon with additional information and some news for the boys. We wish you all safety and good health and we can’t wait to be reunited at camp in 2021. 

 

With gratitude,

The Wipflers

 

“Far above Lake Tarleton’s waters, with its waves of blue, 

  stands noble Kingswood Camp, glorious to view.

  Shout it loudly, sing it proudly, 

  in the years that follow closely, Kingswood Camp will grow.”