Welcome A City Child For Some

‘Fresh Air’ This Summer

By Kendra Bobowick

Days before spring arrived Tuesday, March 20, resident Marie Athans was thinking ahead to summer’s suntan lotion and ice cream.

“We’re getting ready again this year,” she said. As the Newtown area chairperson for the New York City-based Fresh Air Fund, which provides eligible inner-city children an opportunity for a summer vacation in towns including Newtown, she already has one new volunteer family happy to welcome a child this year.

Mary Colon and her husband Bruce Bomely and son Richard Bomely, 8, are eager to welcome a young man close to her son’s age this year. Ms Colon said, “I thought it would be nice to host a child and give my son a companion and give a child a vacation he would otherwise not be able to do.” She also wants to see her son “making a new friend outside his regular circle.”

 “Richard is very excited, off the charts, he can’t wait,” she said. “I am hoping that my son and his new friend have a good relationship and that it turns into something we can do every year — that is the goal.”

Her family’s summer plans? They would like to stay in Connecticut. “If you look a little deeper, there is more here than people realize,” Ms Colon said. They try to find new destinations every year. “We try to do something we haven’t done or that Richard hasn’t done,” she said. This summer could include trips to Lake Compounce, Silver Sands Beach in Milford, or a Bluefish game. Close to home in Newtown Ms Colon mentioned ice cream shops, Treadwell pool, hiking Newtown’s trails, and visiting the horses, llamas, and other animals living on Newtown’s farms.

Ms Colon first learned of the Fresh Air Fund “many, many years ago, and always thought it would be a neat thing to do.”

She said, “Newtown is quite a change from the city in the summer time.”

On Tuesday afternoon before she hung up the phone, Ms Colon asked, “You know what today is, right?” Aside from being the first day of spring, March 20, 2012 was also recently declared Fresh Air Fund Day.

According to a press release from The Fresh Air Fund, “In recognition of The Fresh Air Fund’s 136th summer of bringing together New York City children and volunteer host families in Connecticut, Governor Dannel P. Malloy has proclaimed March 20 ‘Fresh Air Fund Day’ throughout the state.”

This summer, The Fresh Air Fund will once again allow thousands of inner-city boys and girls to escape the hot, noisy New York City streets to enjoy the simple pleasures of summertime fun in the country, the release states.

 Families who participate in The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program open their hearts and homes to New York City children for one or two weeks or more in the summer. “Sharing your home and the surrounding community with a Fresh Air youngster can be the beginning of a worthwhile and meaningful experience — for both the child and your family,” said Jenny Morgenthau, executive director of The Fresh Air Fund. “This year, we are looking for new host families in North Fairfield County to celebrate our 136th anniversary and give youngsters a summertime break from the sometimes dangerous city streets.”

First-time Fresh Air visitors are 6 to 12 years old and Fresh Air hosts range from young families to grandparents.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit organization, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.7 million inner-city children since 1877. For more information about becoming a Fresh Air volunteer host, call Karen Montagna at 203-944-0710, or The Fresh Air Fund at 800-367-0003. Visit The Fresh Air Fund online at FreshAir.org.