Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, a not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences in the country to more than 1.7 million New York City children from disadvantaged communities. Each year, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in 13 states and Canada through the Friendly Town Program or attend Fresh Air Fund camps.
Children returning to the same host family must start participating by age 12, but can make return visits up until age 18.
In our region, there are no participants in Atlantic or Cumberland counties, but Ocean and Cape May counties have volunteer coordinators who help recruit, train and support host families. Both hold their visitation times in July…a perfect time to see sunsets on the Barnegat Bay.
About 14 families host children each summer in Ocean County, and the Cape May County program, just two years old, has 11 host families, according to the Fund's New York office.
A local family has been hosting the same Fresh Air Fund child for five years now at their home in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township, and they believe their kids are learning as much from 11-year-old boy from the Bronx, as he is learning from them.
Children from places like the Bronx get excited about some of the most common occurrences: For example, the family was driving and there was a rabbit in the street. He almost wanted to jump out of the car. The local kids looked like, 'Wow, he's never seen a rabbit up close.'
Those lessons are part of the reason local families decided to host a child.
Like to host a child, but don’t have the room?
This is outstanding investment property with a spacious home and guest house. Both homes offer great income and are located at the end of a cul-de-sac with 106 FT on the water with beautiful waterfront views and 15 mintues to Barnegat Bay by boat. You can live in one and rent the other, if desired.
Karl Hess, Barnegat
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