The Story family of Marlboro — Denise; her husband, Robert; and their children, Brendon, 14, Gabrielle, 11, and Siena, 19 months — will host a Fresh Air Fund child later this summer. The Shilling family has a tradition. Whenever 14-year-old Imani comes to visit the Manalapan residents — Lori Shilling; her husband, Fred; and their daughters, Amanda, 25, and Ariel, 22 — as part of the Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Town program, they head straight to Avon-by-the- Sea for spicy clam chowder.
“I know it sounds crazy, but she loves the clam chowder. … Clams and anchovies are two things she had never had before, so when she comes to us, she can’t get enough clams and anchovies,” Lori said.
The Shillings are just one of many families who know the value of participating in the annual program sponsored by the Fresh Air Fund, a nonprofit agency that has been providing free summer experiences for deserving children since 1877. This summer, a record 48 families in northern and western Monmouth County will host children from low-income communities in New York City.
Robert Story and his daughter Siena, 19 months, will welcome a Fresh Air Fund child into their Marlboro home. Karen Medlin, chairwoman for the Fresh Air Fund in northern and western Monmouth County, described the program as “life-changing.”
“It’s an enlightening experience,” Medlin said. “It’s important because it exposes inner-city children to experiences that they would never otherwise come in contact with.”
Imani, a Brooklyn resident, has visited the Shillings in Manalapan for three consecutive summers. But Imani isn’t so much a guest as she is a member of the family — the Shillings talk to her and see her throughout the year, and Imani and her mother even spent Thanksgiving with the Shillings.
The age difference between Imani and the Shilling daughters hasn’t mattered in the slightest. While many of the Fresh Air Fund kids stay with children who are closer to their own age, Imani, an only child would rather have big sisters.
“They do everything,” Lori said. “They go shopping. They go to the movies. She’ll go with them on errands. … She loves that she has her own room, but she loves to sit with the girls in their rooms and talk.”
When explaining why the Fresh Air Fund is so important, Lori pointed out that it encourages families to empathize and connect with someone from a different background.
“Now, when all the kids do is text message and they’re on their computers, it is very nice to open up your home to a person that you actually have to speak to and relate to … which requires your child to actually speak and interact with somebody they don’t know, rather than a faceless person on Facebook or on the computer,” Lori said.
She said having someone in close proximity would encourage one to relate to that person, leading to an “equally wonderful experience for the child and the host family.” The Story family of Marlboro will be hosting a child for the first time later this summer. Denise; her husband, Robert; and their children, Brendon, 14, Gabrielle, 11, and 19-month-old Siena will be hosting a 6- year-old boy named Jeremy, who is from the Bronx.
“We definitely wanted a little boy, because my son wanted a little-brother, mentor type experience,” Denise said.
The Story family has a lot of exciting activities planned. They’re going to take Jeremy to see a Lakewood BlueClaws game and bring him to Point Pleasant Beach.
During his week with the Storys, Jeremy will also be able to attend Country Roads Day Camp in Manalapan along with Gabrielle and Brendon, who is a counselorin training at the camp.
“My kids have been there since they were little,” Denise said, adding that she received permission from the camp to have Jeremy attend with her kids each day for a week. In his first year at summer camp, Jeremy will take part in activities such as baseball and swimming, and will even get to use a trapeze, she said.
But some families, such as the Massa family of Middletown — made up of Teri; Frank; and their daughters, Caitlin, 25, and Alyson, 20, and sons, Marc, 28, and Frankie, 12 — had difficulty getting a child for their first summer with the program.
The Massas were originally assigned an 11-year-old boy, believing he would get along well with Frankie. But since Frankie wouldn’t be home during the week, the Fresh Air Fund scrambled to find a replacement. Now, they’ve been assigned Zoyeireth, a 6-year-old girl from Jamaica, Queens, who is the youngest girl coming to Monmouth County as part of the program this summer, according to Alyson.
“Her mom says she’s happy and thrilled, and she doesn’t like dolls. She likes to play ball,” she said.
Alyson was the one who inspired the rest of her family to participate in the program. Home for the summer from Syracuse University, Alyson acknowledged that she doesn’t “have much to do.”
“So I figured that I might as well give somebody else a fun time — somebody who deserves it,” she said.
To learn more about the Fresh Air Fund, visit www.freshair.org.