Do You Live in a Friendly Town? The Fresh Air Fund is looking for host families in your area

Earlier, I posted about the Fresh Air Fund, and all the good work they do that essentially allows kids to be just that, even if it is only for a couple weeks in the summer. If that post piqued your interest, you're probably also wondering how you can help out, even if it's in a small way. The Fresh Air Fund is a not-for-profit organization based in New York that provides such experiences to nearly 10, 000 New York City children that hail from low-income communities. They also host kids on a 2,300 acre site in Fishkill, New York at Fresh Air Camp.

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.

Some quick 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

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

As always, even if you can't be a host family there are still other way to get involved: donating and volunteering are both just as important and an excellent way to show you support to the cause.




Just think about how good you'll feel doing something for someone else, especially if that someone isn't expecting a thing from you.

If you live in one of the 13 Northeastern states on the map below, or in Southern Ontario, I urge you to consider hosting a child this summer.





Click on the map to inquire about hosting


Personally, I'm going to see if my parents can donate some time to the cause, we've got a cottage that barely gets any use now that my four stepsisters and I are all grown up. You should do the same. Talk to friends, and relatives and see what kind of initiative you guys can put together.