Kidsburgh’s biggest champion says farewell

Left to right, above: Ken Krynski, Lyn Krynski and Yu-Ling Cheng at a Parents as Allies school event.

As we come to the end of summer, Kidsburgh has been hearing about all sorts of fun family adventures. Whether our readers have been traveling abroad or exploring local parks and ice cream shops, we’ve noticed that seasoned travelers seem to share certain traits for a successful journey. These qualities include doing your research, being flexible (even the best laid out plans can go awry), having a willingness to try new things, being culturally aware and respectful, and embracing the experience with boundless joy. 

We have seen this firsthand in our dear friend Lyn Krynski, who has shared with us about some of her travel adventures — from taking her grandchildren to experience what Pittsburgh has to offer to exploring Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, with her husband, Ken. No matter where she goes, Lyn comes prepared with a plan and soaks up everything she can learn, while leaving plenty of room for the unexpected to happen. 

We’re grateful to Lyn, as our director of Kidsburgh, for bringing that same ethos to her work. Her unwavering support, curiosity and empathy have been our guiding force at Kidsburgh. 

A JOYFUL RESOURCE FOR ALL FAMILIES

In December 2007, a group of caring citizens representing different child-serving organizations came together at The Grable Foundation with the intent of making Pittsburgh one of the best places in the world to raise children. Many ideas were brainstormed. But this group — the Community Cabinet — kept going back to this idea of a website where families and caregivers could find positive stories and kid-friendly resources in one place.

Lyn was one of the members of the Community Cabinet and was instrumental to making this dream a reality. With support from The Grable Foundation, Kidsburgh was born in 2008! 

Since then, Kidsburgh has experienced incredible growth thanks to the support of its team, community advisory board, funders and readers. A lot has happened during the last 15 years!

We officially launched our website in 2010 followed by our social media accounts a year later. Our logo, who we lovingly call “KB,” was born in 2014.

In that same year, KDKA TV anchor Kristine Sorensen invited Kidsburgh to join her on Pittsburgh Today Live for a monthly segment which ultimately led to a formal partnership in 2016. Kidsburgh began publishing e-blasts on a quarterly basis and today, we send free e-newsletters twice each week. And, in 2021, we began independently publishing under the expert eyes of our executive editor, Melissa Rayworth.

Kidsburgh has also embarked on special projects like Kidcasts, a mental health series, a family-school engagement project in partnership with 31 school districts called  Parents as Allies, and a website redesign that saw the launch of language translation services for our growing community of refugee and immigrant families in Pittsburgh. 

The stabilizing force through all of this change has been Lyn. She has been there every step of this journey and guided its growth while never straying from Kidsburgh’s mission.

“Pittsburgh is Kidsburgh… and Linda Krynski has worked tirelessly to make that a reality! She brings her kind, listening and authentic self to every interaction and has been brilliant at bringing together people from all parts of the region to create and deliver events and activities that inspire and engage,” says Mentoring Partnership executive director Colleen Fedor. “Lyn’s love of learning, her fun and curious nature, and strong determination have truly made a difference.”

Kristine Sorensen echoes that praise.

“One of the things I love about working with Lyn is that she is always looking out for the disenfranchised,” Kristine says. “No matter what the story, she always makes sure we are doing everything we can to help the kids and families who need help the most. Whether it’s those who don’t have the money or access to resources, or people with disabilities who may not be able to express their needs, or people who may be overlooked or discriminated against for any reason, she uses her skills, empathy and knowledge to help make their lives better.” 

Lyn is one of the biggest champions of Kidsburgh. As a former special education teacher and school leader, Lyn has a deep passion for helping families. At Kidsburgh, we are grateful for her leadership, dedication and friendship. It is a bittersweet moment as Lyn retires from Kidsburgh. We know there will be many more adventures for Lyn and her family, and as she embarks on her next adventure, we know she will always be looking out for Pittsburgh families. 

Fluent in French, Lyn often started Kidsburgh meetings with the greeting “bonjour!” which would always bring a smile to our faces. While Melissa, Kristine and I may be saying “bonne journée” to Lyn, her words of wisdom and dedication to Pittsburgh families will continue guiding us at Kidsburgh.