The Fresh Air Fund is in need of host families to volunteer to give children from disadvantaged neighborhoods in New York City the opportunity to experience life outside of the city. Nearly 5,000 New York City children are granted the opportunity to live in a more spacious environment for two weeks or longer each summer through the Fresh Air Fund.
There are no financial requirements to participate in the “Friendly Town Program.” The host family can choose the age and gender of the visitor. First-time visitors range in age from 6 to 12 and can be invited back through The Fund until age 18. Many families, however, keep in contact all year round and form lifelong bonds.
“We love our Fresh Air guest. He is a part of the family when he is here. I haven’t met a more pleasant and polite kid,” said one Fresh Air host. Host families enjoy rediscovering their community through the eyes of a city child.
For more information about the Fresh Air Fund and hosting a child this summer, call (732) 660-1195 or (800) 367-0003 or visit www.freshair.org.