Date: Fri 16-Apr-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: JAN

Quick Words:

Fresh-Air-Fund

Full Text:

Fresh Air Fund Seeks Local Host Families

(with cuts)

BY JAN HOWARD

Somewhere in New York City there is a child who would love to spend two weeks

in the country with a friendly family, a child who has never experienced the

quiet of a summer night while lying on the grass looking at the stars, a walk

in the woods, or a summer's evening spent catching fireflies.

The Fresh Air Fund is looking for families in Newtown who would like to open

up a new world to disadvantaged children by providing them with a two-week

summer vacation from June 30 to July 14.

In 1998, children from New York City visited eight Newtown families. More host

families are needed this year to ensure that inner-city youngsters continue to

experience the joys of country living.

Hosts can request a boy or a girl, as well as the approximate age of the

child. There are no financial requirements to host a child.

Children on first-time visits are 6 to 12 years old and stay in volunteers'

homes for two weeks. Reinvited youngsters may continue to visit through age

18. Over 60 percent of all children are invited back to the same families,

year after year. Many have extended visits or spend the entire summer.

Brianna, 10, is returning to Newtown for her fourth summer vacation at the

home of Charlene and Bill Weber and their children, Jesse, Jason, and Bethany.

Mrs Weber said the family goes on day trips while Brianna is visiting. "We

give her choices and leave it up to her where we go. The ocean is always a hit

since she's from the Bronx. My husband's family lives at the Cape so she

always spends a weekend there."

Brianna has gone fishing, boating, hiking, and on a whale watch, Mrs Weber

said.

However, it isn't necessary to have a lot of things going on, Mrs Weber said.

"She's a real easy kid. You don't have to feel you have to entertain her."

Brianna especially likes rollerblading. "Parks and Recreation had a program

she went to a few times, but I think she could have run the class," Mrs Weber

said. "She rollerblades in the city. She's very good at it."

Mrs Weber said her children have gained an appreciation for another type of

life through the Fresh Air program. "Not everything is as it is in this

environment," she said. She explained that Brianna's mother, a single mom, has

recently graduated from college and is now teaching.

Between summer visits, Brianna and the Webers keep in touch through the

exchange of letters and telephone calls.

"We send a Christmas gift, and she sends a card," Mrs Weber said. "The last

time we spoke she said she was looking forward to coming and to swimming."

Michael has also been invited back. For the third year, he will be visiting

Tracy and Peter VanBuskirk and their children, Dana and Elisa.

Mrs VanBuskirk said that Michael, unlike many of the children in the Fresh Air

program, is "pretty fortunate because he has a family that is intact." Noting

that many children come from single-parent families, Michael has two parents

who are both working, and who provide him with good role models.

"He's a real great kid," Mrs VanBuskirk said.

Michael is eight and a seasoned visitor now. But during his first visit two

years ago, he was afraid of Shadow, the family dog. "It was the hardest thing

for him to get used to," Mrs VanBuskirk said, noting in the city most of the

dogs he sees are guard dogs.

"By the end of the first week, he was petting Shadow," she said, and when he

came back the second year, he was very comfortable with Shadow.

Mrs VanBuskirk said the first time a child visits, "It's a real culture shock

for them" because things are very different from what they have experienced.

During Michael's visit, Mrs VanBuskirk said her family does activities they

would ordinarily do. They go to the town pool, to a beach in Fairfield, and

sailing.

The first two years he visited, Michael attended the Parks and Recreation

soccer camp with Dana. "He loved it," Mrs VanBuskirk said. Unfortunately, his

visit does not overlap the camp this year, and he won't be able to attend.

Michael saw mountains for the first time on a drive to Massachusetts last

year, Mrs VanBuskirk said. As a result, the family took him hiking.

"We climbed St John's Ledges in Kent. He never experienced this before. He

never saw boulders before," she said.

Mrs VanBuskirk said what Michael gains from the two-week visit is "worry-free

fun." She said she first realized this when she saw him running across a

sandbar at the beach and laughing, truly enjoying himself.

"Long term, it lets him know there is a different way to live," she said. "It

may be harder for him to attain, but it is out there."

Mrs VanBuskirk said she believes the Fresh Air experience shows children how

important it is to stay in school and get good grades, so they can attain a

different life than what they are experiencing now.

"We want to help him see that," she said.

She said she and her husband feel their children have benefited from the

experience. "You fear what you don't know," she said. "It's important to learn

to live with and accept another person that is different than ourselves."

Local Fresh Air Fund host coordinator Susan Dann said she has always received

a good response from Newtown families.

Mrs Dann and her family, who live in Bethel, have hosted Tamica for eight

years. She just turned 14.

"She's a doll, a great kid," Mrs Dann said. "She has a nice family." Since she

was very young, Tamica has always known that she wants to be a lawyer someday,

she added.

Mrs Dann said Tamica has gained from the annual vacation experience by seeing

a different way of life and learning to appreciate the outdoors and nature.

In turn, Mrs Dann said her family has learned how kids from the city live. "It

has helped my daughter realize that things aren't always so nice in other

places."

She said when children first come to the country they are terrified of night

sounds they have never heard before. "We have quiet here," she said.

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, a non-profit agency, has helped more than 1.6

million children, who otherwise would not experience it, to enjoy summer in

the country.

The tradition began when the Rev Willard Parsons, the minister of a small

parish in Sherman, Penn., asked his parishioners to provide a country vacation

for New York City children.

In 1999, it is expected that about 6,000 children will visit host families in

13 states, from Virginia to Maine, and Canada.

The Fresh Air Fund provides all transportation and arranges for payment of any

medical expenses for children without insurance. The fund also provides

liability insurance for hosts and volunteers.

Children are selected based on financial need and are enrolled by 50

participating social service organizations in New York City.

Members of a local volunteer committee approve hosts after reviewing their

applications, visiting their homes, and checking their personal references.

"I tell people you have to give families credit for putting a kid on the bus

and letting them go to a stranger's house," Mrs Dann said.

To learn more about how to become a Fresh Air Fund host, contact Mrs Dann at

203/790-1465, or call The Fresh Air Fund at 800/367-0003.