The Fresh Air Fund, which will be entering its 141st summer of serving New York City children from low-income communities by giving them experiences of a lifetime- free of charge. Boys and girls learn about new places, participate in cultural exchange, and go on a journey of self-discovery. Host families from along the East Coast and Canada volunteer to take in participants along with sleep-away camps in upstate New York.
12 year old Kima from the Bronx, has been visiting her volunteer host family since she was seven years old. She says, “I’m feeling awesome about visiting my host family in Connecticut again. It is quieter than the Bronx, and you can do exciting things. We go to water parks and movies, and we bake and cook together. My host sister is 14, and we’re friends. During the school year, we text and call, and I even visit there on school breaks. The one thing I learned from my Fresh Air experience is never stop trying. I couldn’t swim, and then they taught me, and, by the end of the week, I was diving off the diving board! My experience was great, amazing and fun!”
Registration is now open for the summer of 2017. Through the Friendly Towns Program, children on first-time visits, seven through 12 years old, enjoy a one-week experience with volunteer host families. Children re-invited to the same host families may visit through age 18. At sleep-away camps in Fishkill, New York, girls, ages eight through 12, and boys, ages 8 through 15, explore outdoor adventures.
Application Guides for parents are available in Chinese, English, Korean and Spanish, and multi-lingual staff members are available for assistance. For more information about registering your child, please visit www.freshair.org or call (800) 367-0003.