Fresh Air Hosts Sought

Each summer, thousands of volunteer host families in 13 Northeastern states and Canada provide free summer vacations to needy New York City children. Through the Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Town program, inner-city children experience the thrill of swimming in lakes and streams, running barefoot through grassy meadows, and making new suburban and country friends.

“My host family took me camping. We roasted marshmallows and slept in a tent. It was so much fun!” said 10-year-old Jonathan. For thousands of city children, summertime in the city means hot apartments, crowded playgrounds and dangerous streets. But you can help give more city children an opportunity to experience a different kind of summer this year by opening your heart and home to a child between the ages of six and 12.

Fresh Air hosts are young families, single professionals, empty nesters and grandparents – all of whom want to share the simple pleasures of suburban or country life with an inner-city child. For more information on how you can make summer special for a Fresh Air child, call Janet and Paul Haringa at 203/268-1259, or the Fresh Air Fund at 800/367-0003. You can also learn more about the Friendly Town program by visiting the Fund’s Web site at http://www.freshair.org.