Help Martial Way Kung-Fu

Hello, The Martial Way Kung-Fu Training Center was founded in 1999 and has been servicing the Co-op City community in Bronx, NY, as well as neighboring communities, for the past 20 years.  Our programs include but are not limited to martial arts instruction for children and adults, fitness and wellness classes for adults, an after school program and a fun-filled summer camp.  All of our programs are tailored around character building as well as physical fitness and wellness.  It has been an amazing experience servicing our community and watching [literally] generations of children grow into adulthood.  As we celebrate our milestone 20 year anniversary this year, we were hopeful to continue the momentum from last year by expanding our programs as well as finishing the much needed cosmetic upgrades to our school.   Unfortunately, this year has now become a year of uncertainty with the surge of this unprecedented pandemic that has literally touched the lives of every person in the world.  New York has been exceptionally impacted and as a result, our school is being horrifically financially impacted by the executive orders to close all non-essential businesses.  It is with great humility that I ask for financial assistance from anyone that is able to donate.   What steps have been taken since closing in late March? Immediately following the executive order to close, the immediate move of all kung-fu and fitness classes to an online virtual platform was made.  This task was much more cumbersome than originally thought and  took several weeks to work out the nuances of moving martial arts and fitness to an online platform.  Though we have a handful of students that are continuing their training online, overall, we have lost 85% of our memberships across the board from all of our programs.  During the school year, our after school program and kung-fu program are the two main sources of income.  With the after school program totally closed and memberships radically down, it has been difficult to meet our financial responsibilities.   What about government aid? The moment state and federal aid was available, I gathered all of the necessary documents to illustrate how our school was adversely impacted by Covid-19.  As you may know, the first round of federal aid was exhausted in one week due to publicly traded corporations draining millions upon millions of dollars from the fund.  Small businesses that truly need the aid had no chance.  Though there is a second round of aid that is currently available, we still have not received any money to assist us.  The state has also been very slow in their response to our request for aid.  We have applied for a number of grants and loans and are still awaiting responses.  It is important to note that there is no guarantee an approval of any of these pending applications.   Unfortunately, there has been no communication from our landlord regarding any assistance of deferral they would be looking to provide towards rent and utilities for business in the community that have been mandated to close due to this pandemic.  At best, we will not be charged late fees.  The monthly carrying charges for our school is $4900 per month which includes all utilities, additional commercial leasing fees, and taxes.  As we go into our second month of closure, I continue to monitor this crisis daily.  Though there is no timeline as to when we will be able to open, I know for certain it will not be in the month of May.  The summer months (July & August) are usually our strongest financially due primarily to our summer camp program.  With summer camp also now in jeopardy pending social distancing and state mandates, makes it that much more critical we are able to meet our monthly obligations.   In summation, we are all in an extremely challenging time.  My personal goal is to ensure this crisis is not the end of our school that has been so very instrumental in the part of thousands of kids' lives that have passed through our doors over the past 20 years.  This virus will pass in time.  My goal to still be able to offer the very essential services and programs for our community when it does.  All donations will be used towards our monthly rent.   For more information on our school and programs, please visit us at www.martialwaykungfu.net.   Thank you in advance for your generosity and support.   Sincerely, Christopher Robinson Owner Martial Way Kung-Fu Training Center Youth & Adult Kung-Fu Studio