Kingstowne Business Elite M.A. Centers Needs Your Support

The new coronavirus has changed life for all of us. Local businesses have taken a huge economic hit, but communities are finding creative ways to support the establishments they know and love.

In an effort to help local businesses in our communities stay connected and succeed, Patch will shine a light on some of them through a series of Q&A articles during this time.

Elite M.A. Centers is one of the businesses in town facing struggles during the coronavirus. You can lend your support by reading more about the company, below, and by contacting them here.

Tell us about your business and its history in your town.

Elite M.A. Centers was established in 2008 at our flagship location in Springfield, VA. We have three additional locations in Burke, Kingstowne and Fairfax. Our Kingstowne location was launched in 2016 in the Hilltop Shopping Center and has quickly grown into an integral part of the local community. We support our local schools through donations to fundraising efforts, providing free P.E. class instruction and volunteering at school events.

Our schools offer Tae Kwon Do instruction for children ages 4 and up, teens and adults. We are an official partner with Fairfax County Public Schools and offer our After-School Martial Arts Program to elementary students. Our Summer Camp Program provides full-day camps that include 3 to 4 field trips per week in addition to Tae Kwon Do instruction.

How has the new coronavirus impacted your business and its employees?

Our business is based on in-person instruction, which is not possible in this time of social distancing. As a result, we have moved our instruction online. We are offering a full schedule of streaming classes for our students which are accessed through our Facebook page and Zoom. We are offering group classes, semi-private interactive classes and opportunities to test and advance through our virtual platform. Additionally, our staff has recorded hours of training videos that are available on demand through our YouTube page. While this instruction cannot replace our in-person classes, it is providing us the opportunity to stay connected with our students and allowing our students to train and remain current with their skills.

How can local customers support you now and in the future?

New customers interested in our programs can sign up for our four-week free community learning course. This will allow them to preview our services while our physical locations are closed. Once we reopen, we would love to have customers come in and try our classes in person. Parents who are in need of summer camp and after-school care can get more information on our website.

Do you have any words of encouragement for your community?

In these uncertain times, we need to focus on things we can control. We are all concerned about our health and regular physical exercise is proven to benefit both mental and physical well-being. We hope that our free community learning course will provide a way for families to stay health and active while learning something new and having fun.

Are you offering any special services, promotions or hours during this time?

Our school just recently launched a free distance learning martial arts program for the community. It’s a four-week online training beginner course that is designed to give elementary age students a constructive activity during this time of practicing social distancing. Participants get weekly training videos as well as a live stream class with black belt instructors. We believe this will give many children in our community an appropriate channel to spend their pent-up energy, and create a routine that promotes staying healthy and fit while they are not in school. Everything is automated so the system will walk students through the steps once they have signed up. The program information can be accessed here.

Do you own a local business in need of a feature on Patch? Fill out the questions in this form for consideration. Or, check out Patch's full list of resources for small businesses during the coronavirus crisis.

Thank you, and stay safe!