Fresh Air Fund Visitors Leave Families With Fond Memories

This summer, 18 children visited volunteer host families in the Newtown area through The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Town Program.

As the summer winds down, local host families reflect on their Fresh Air experiences. “New York City in the summer can be one of the most difficult places to be, and it has been so rewarding to give them a little respite from that,” explained one host.

Next year there will be opportunities for more local families to help provide summer vacations for New York City children. To find out more about volunteering, call Susan Dann at 790-1465 or The Fresh Air Fund at 800-367-0003. Visit the fund online at www.freshair.org.

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities. More than 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually.

In 2004, more than 5,000 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 on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, N.Y. The fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.