This summer, share the beauty of your community with a Fresh Air child while enjoying the pure joys of summer in your own backyard! Thousands of volunteer host families in rural, suburban, and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada open their hearts and homes to New York City children from low-income communities through The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family program. The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877.

Host families open their homes to children who might not otherwise be able to enjoy a summer away from New York City. Fresh Air children experience simple pleasures like running barefoot through the grass, swimming in a cool lake, and gazing at star-filled skies. Through the eyes of Fresh Air children, families often rediscover the beauty of their own communities.

“The Fresh Air Fund is an incredible gift for the whole family. We grow and adapt to learn different perspectives that remind us that the simplest things can make a huge difference,” says Michelle, a Fresh Air host.

For more information on how you can make summer special for a Fresh Air child, contact Mary Poe at 434-239-5590 or visit The Fresh Air Fund at www.freshair.org.