In the Christmas Spirit, Become a Fresh Air Host Family

This November, many families in Putnam County are thankful for something special: the gift of their friendship with a New York City child. Through The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Town program, local families open their hearts and homes to inner-city children as volunteer hosts for up to two weeks during the summer. By volunteering as a host family for summer 2010, the spirit of Thanksgiving can continue in your home throughout the year. One child recounts the activities she tried in Friendly Town during her visit. “I saw things here that I don’t get to see in New York—like deer, frogs, and the stars!”

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. Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2009, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and into Canada. Additionally, 3,000 children attended five Fund camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves 2,000 young people each year.

For more information on hosting a Fresh Air child next summer, please contact Lisa Martens at 845-788-3902 or The Fresh Air Fund at (800) 367- 0003. You can also visit The Fund’s Web site at www.freshair.org.