I remember once having a conversation with my sons' biological father where he lamented the reality that he had no idea how to relate to the boys childhood experiences. He had never camped, never ridden a motorcycle, never been in a boat, never seen the ocean and never water skied. In fact, he had never been out of the general location he was born in. Ever. And he was over 30. Their childhood was as incomprehensible to him as his was to them.
There is an organization that seeks to make sure that ever child gets that fun summer experience, and they are still desperately in need of host families for kids THIS summer from the East Coast of Canada and the USA.
PLEASE, go check out The Fresh Air Fund and considering hosting a child to give them a summer they will never forget.
Fresh Air children are boys and girls, six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for either one or two weeks. Youngsters who are re-invited by the same family may continue with The Fund through age 18, and many enjoy longer summertime visits, year after year. A visit to the home of a warm and loving volunteer host family can make all the difference in the world to an inner-city child. All it takes to create lifelong memories is laughing in the sunshine and making new friends.
The majority of Fresh Air children are from low-income communities. These are often families without the resources to send their children on summer vacations. Most inner-city youngsters grow up in towering apartment buildings without large, open, outdoor play spaces. Concrete playgrounds cannot replace the freedom of running barefoot through the grass or riding bikes down country lanes.
