The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Fresh Air children are boys and girls, from seven to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children who are reinvited by host families may continue with The Fresh Air Fund through age 18 and can enjoy extended trips.
Fresh Air summers are filled with children running barefoot through the grass, gazing at star-filled skies or swimming for the first time. Join volunteer host families in and around Central Virginia for our 140th summer, and open your heart and home to a Fresh Air child! Each summer, thousands of New York City children visit suburban, rural and small town communities along the East Coast from North Carolina to Maine and Canada through The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Towns Program.
“Edward has truly taught us a lot. We were hoping to give him a fun summer and did not expect anything in return, but he gave us so much. The respect he has, the kindness and sweetness, that is really what stands out about him. Edward has this smile that just made you feel happiness. I could not imagine our summers without him now,” says host mom Erin.
Is there room for one more on that picnic blanket? As part of our Friendly Towns Program, hosting a child for a summer experience is as simple as packing an extra PB&J. Running through the sprinkler in the grass. A jaunt around the block with the dog. When the sky’s clear, you’ll count shooting stars – and when it’s not, well, the sky’s still the limit. Welcoming a child to your home for a week or two isn’t about planning lots of activities. It’s about grass-stained knees and sandy feet. It’s about opening your heart, sharing your home, and changing a life.
Learn more about how your family can host a child this summer at http://www.freshair.org.
