Fresh Air Fund Seeks Newtown Homes

The Fresh Air Fund is seeking host families in the Newtown area to give inner-city children a two-week vacation this summer.

By volunteering as a host family for the fund’s Friendly Town Program, residents can help give a child a break from the heat and noise of the crowded New York City streets.

“A lot of what you do for the kids are simple things, the things you do every day in your yard and your neighborhood,” said a Fresh Air host. Last summer 16 Fresh Air children visited volunteer host families in the Newtown area.

This year, the fund needs more active host families to carry on its 127-year tradition of sharing the joys of suburban and small town life, like smelling fresh flowers, casting a fishing pole for the first time, or hearing crickets chirp. The friendship that develop between hosts and their Fresh Air visitors often last a lifetime.

There are no financial requirements for hosting a Fresh Air child. Hosts can select the gender and approximate age of their visitor. First-time visitors are 6 to 12 years old, and reinvited youngsters may participate in the Friendly Town Program through age 18.

Thanks to many families throughout 13 northeastern states and Canada, more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income neighborhoods have experienced free summer vacations through the Fresh Air Fund.

To learn more about hosting a child this summer, contact Susan Dann in Bethel at 790-1465 or call the Fresh Air Fund at 800-367-0003, or visit the website at www.freshair.org.