Welcome AFresh Air Child

Residents interested in welcoming a child into their homes this summer through the Fresh Air Fund have a narrow window of time to complete an application process for a mid-August visit. Local coordinator Marie Athans helped this week as families greeted inner-city children for a July visit when they arrived by bus in Monroe Tuesday, and warns that time is running out for the summer’s second session.

Contact Ms Athans as soon as possible in order to complete and return paperwork to the Fresh Air Fund offices in New York by July 25. Call 426-7137, or contact the fund at 800-367-0003.

According to the Fund’s website: “Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund has been giving inner-city children the joy of a summer vacation with volunteer host families and at Fund camps, creating unforgettable memories and fresh possibilities.”

The information on the website also addresses potential host families.

“There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ host family.  If you have room in your home — and your heart — to host a child, you could be one too. Families are volunteers who live in the suburbs or small town communities.

“Host families range in size, ethnicity and background, but share the desire to open their hearts and homes to give city children an experience they will never forget.”

Additional information is also available at FreshAir.org.