The Fresh Air Fund

Far from the dog world, but an amazing foundation to help out with and I am sure the pups would love to help as well!  The Fresh Air fund is an independent, non-profit agency, that has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877.  Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air fund programs annually.  In 2008, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.  3,000 children also attended five fresh Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York.  The Fund's year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year. 


Fresh Air Children are boys and girls, 6 to 18 years old, who live in New York City.  Children on first-time visits are 6 to 12 years old and stay for either one or two weeks.  Youngsters who are re-invited by the same family may continue with The Fund through age 18, and many volunteer host family can make all the difference in the world to an inner-city child.  All it takes to create lifelong memories is laughing in the sunshine and making new friends. 


The majority of Fresh Air Children are from low-income communities.  These are often families without the resource to send their children on summer vacations.  Most inner-city youngsters grow up in towering apartment buildings without large, open outdoor play spaces.  Concrete playgrounds cannot replace the freedom of running barefoot through the grass or riding bikes down country lanes. 


Fresh Air Children are registered by more than 90 participating social service and community organizations located in disadvantaged neighborhoods in the five boroughs of New York City.  These community-based agencies are in close contact with children in need of a summer experience in a rural and suburban areas.  Each agency is responsible for registering children for the program. 


What do Fresh Air Children enjoy?
Playing in the backyard
Laughing in the sunshine
Catching fireflies
Riding bicycles
Learning to swim
Running barefoot through the grass
Gazing at the stars on moonlit nights
Building sandcastles
Making new friends
Simple pleasures of life away from the inner-city


If you are interested in becoming a host home please feel free to contact The Fresh Air Fund!  
Angela Pender-Fox, Friendly Town Director
APenderfox@freshair.org


Jenny Morgenthau, Executive Director
jmorgenthau@freshair.org


Kaye Brinkerhoff, Public Relations Director
kbrinkerhoff@freshair.org


Sara Wilson, Outreach Coordinator
sara@freshair.org