The Fresh Air Fund

UPDATE:

There is still time to host in 2009! The Fresh Air Fund NEEDS hosts for August in these states:

Call (800) 367-0003 or click here to fill out a host inquiry form.

Donate

You can give a child the experience of a lifetime with your gift to The Fresh Air Fund! Every year, The Fresh Air Fund gives thousands of inner-city children the priceless gift of fun – and opens the door to a lifetime of opportunities. Whether it's a two-week trip to visit a volunteer host family, or a fun-filled and educational stay at one of our camps, our programs make for unforgettable memories – and open a world of new friendships and fresh possibilities. We are a not-for-profit agency and depend on tax-deductible donations from people like you to keep our vital programs flourishing. Donate online now

Can't donate at this time? Please follow the Fresh Air Fun on Facebook to help spread the word! Thanks!

The Fresh Air Fund is in need of host families. Host families are volunteers who open their hearts and home to a child from the city to give them a fresh air experience.

Please take a look at the Fresh Air Fund Website to learn more about this program!

About The Fresh Air Fund

THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences 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 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.

News Facts

In 2008, The Fresh Air Fund's Volunteer Host Family Program, called Friendly Town, gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes for two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.

The Fresh Air Fund needs hosts for the Summer of 2009. Click here to see a hosting area map, and to see frequently asked questions.

The Fresh Air Fund relies on donations to raise the funds needed to give these children the experiences they deserve.

Host a Child

Thanks to host families who open up their homes for a two weeks each summer, children growing up in New York City’s toughest neighborhoods have experienced the joys of Fresh Air vacations. More than 65% of all children are reinvited to stay with their host family, year after year. Fresh Air Fund 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.

Fresh Air children are boys and girls, six to 12 years old, who reside in low-income communities in New York City and are eager to experience the simple pleasures of life outside the city.

As one child says, "I can’t wait to get on the bus every summer so I can see my family and go swimming and hiking!"

You can read more about the Fresh Air Fund here.

Your Eighty MPH Mom