As we experience the end of a mild winter, thoughts of spring and summer do not linger far behind. The days grow longer, nature comes alive around us and summer plans begin to take shape. Summer provides an opportunity for us to share the sights and sounds of our community with others less fortunate.
Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund – an independent, notfor profit agency – has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income neighborhoods. Through the fund’s Friendly Town program, young New Yorkers, ages 6-18, experience the joy of summer during visits of one week or more with volunteer host families. Fresh Air hosts live in suburban and small-town communities throughout 13 Northeastern states and Ontario, Canada.
The fund is looking for more volunteer families in our area to provide inner-city children with a one- or two-week respite from the hot streets and crowded concrete playgrounds. Please consider how you can make a difference in the life of a child this summer by opening your heart and your home. Help us celebrate the fund’s 132nd year of serving children.
For more information on how you can become a host, please call your local Friendly Town chairperson, Corinne LeBaron at (732) 513-3643 or The Fresh Air Fund at (800) 367-0003. You can also visit the fund’s Web site at www.freshair.org.
Beth Judge Fund representative for
Central New Jersey The Fresh Air Fund
New York City