October 26, 2007 Dear Sunny Skies Families, We hope this letter finds you and your family well. It is with great sadness that we are writing today to share the very difficult decision that we will not be able to operate Sunny Skies in 2008. Over the past year, we have searched the local area in hopes of finding a new home for camp. We have visited and evaluated locations that included schools, a university, local parklands and private properties. We've looked at ways in which we could change our program to fit different sites and ways in which different sites could fit our program; but in the end we have been unable to secure a suitable location. After so many years of pouring our hearts and souls into camp, we are all deeply saddened by this outcome. When we purchased Sunny Skies Day Camp 15 years ago, we looked forward to creating another very special place for children to experience the joys of summer camp. We modeled the Sunny Skies program after our other camp, Camp Kinneret Day Camp. It was our hope that one day we would be able to purchase the Sunny Skies property from the founding owner and that Sunny Skies would have a permanent home. Unfortunately, by the time he was finally ready to sell, property values in the area had escalated beyond our reach. No one is more saddened by this outcome than we are. For Jeff and Harold and our families, Sunny Skies has been a huge part of our lives for the last 15 years; and for Ryan, it has been his life for the last two years. Sunny Skies today is the product of our collective years of hard work and the work and dedication of the wonderful staff members who joined us throughout the years. Seeing it end is difficult; however, we take some comfort in knowing that it has provided wonderful camp experiences for thousands of children during our 15 camp seasons. While this is a difficult time for all of us, we are moving forward with transitions. Jeff will now be focusing his year round efforts in our science and nature curriculum company. Ryan will be joining Harold at Camp Kinneret as a Director and Sarah Tobin, our long time office manager will be joining the Kinneret year round administrative staff. We also hope that many of our 2007 Sunny Skies staff will join us at Camp Kinneret in 2008. In closing, we want to thank you for the confidence and trust that you have placed in us over the years. When we got to Sunny Skies 15 years ago there was a lot of work to do. The Sunny Skies of today is a product of that work and together with our wives and families who supported our efforts throughout the years, we will always cherish our years together in that special place. We know that Sunny Skies holds a very special place in the hearts of our campers, including our own children with whom we?must now share this news, and that they will be deeply saddened as well. It is our hope that they take with them the friendships they made and joyful memories of their days in camp. We hope that they will look back on their Sunny Skies summers as highlights of their young lives. With fond memories and wishes for all the best. Harold Gordon - Jeff Salzman - Ryan Rosen P.S - If you have been counting on our Sharing Smiles toy drive (our annual collection of used toys, clothes, books, games, etc.) it will once again be happening this Thanksgiving weekend and we welcome you to be part of it. If you would like camp staff members to stop by your home so that you and your campers may donate gently used items to less fortunate children and their families, please call camp or send an email to info@sunnyskies.com. We will be happy to include you. What happened to the petting farm animals? They all have new homes. In the case of Al, Mabelle, Billie and Jojo, they are all living together with some new friends at the home of a former Sunny Skies camper. They have more room to run and play than they did at Sunny Skies and seem very happy. Can Sunny Skies campers enroll at Camp Kinneret for 2008? Absolutely. We look forward to welcoming many SS families into the Kinneret family, but we also know that just like Sunny Skies, part of what makes Camp Kinneret special is that we limit the number of campers in order to keep groups small and maintain the community feeling in camp. There will be space for new families at Camp Kinneret as there is every year. For 2008, Sunny Skies families that submit applications during January will be given priority over other new families. However, space for new families is always limited and we can't guarantee that space or specific day combinations or sessions will be available for all Sunny Skies families. Is there a chance SS will re-open in the future? While we never rule anything out, at this moment we can't foresee an opportunity presenting itself that would allow us to re-open Sunny Skies in the foreseeable future. |