Fresh Air Fund volunteer leaders and hosts celebrated the special day with a host information session at volunteer leader Teri Reed’s home. Past and prospective host families started the day with coffee and stories as volunteers shared their past experiences with the Fresh Air Fund.
Families who participate in the Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program open their hearts and homes to New York City children for one or two weeks in the summer. Volunteers want to share what they have with city children and introduce them to the joys of suburban or country life.
“I knew you were a special organization when I started hosting but you are truly an amazing and inspirational group, which uplifts the spirit and shows others what is really important in life!” says Jennifer, a Fresh Air host.
Families find hosting so rewarding that more than 65 percent of all Fresh Air children are reinvited, visiting the same host families year after year. First-time Fresh Air visitors are 6 to 12 years old, and Fresh Air hosts range from young families to grandparents. All it takes is the willingness to welcome a New York City child to your community.
The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit organization, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million inner-city children since 1877.
For more information about becoming a Fresh Air volunteer host this summer, call Teri Reed at 203-972-9199 or log on to The Fresh Air Fund online at http://www.freshair.org.
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