Fresh Air Fund Seeks Host Homes

The Fresh Air Fund is seeking volunteers to open their homes to an inner-city child.

Fresh Air children are boys and girls, ages 6 to 18, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are 6 to 12 years old and stay for two weeks. Youngsters who are reinvited by the same family may continue through age 18, and many enjoy longer summertime visits.

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million disadvantaged children from New York City. This summer, the fund continues its 126-year-old tradition of seeking host families to share the joys of suburban and small town life with New York City children.

Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2002, close to 6,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. Additionally, 3,000 children attended five Fresh Air camps in Fishkill, N.Y. The fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 1,000 young people each year.

Children are selected to participate based on financial need. Children are from low-income families, with the majority receiving some form of public assistance. Fresh Air youngsters are registered by 60 social service and community organizations in the five boroughs of New York City.

There are no financial requirements for hosting a Fresh Air child. Host families are not paid.

Hosts can select the gender and approximate age of their visitor. Each community is supervised by a committee of volunteers, who select host families after reviewing their applications, visiting them in their homes, and checking personal references.

For more information on how to volunteer as a host family, call Susan Dann at 790-1465.