Fresh Air Fund seeks local hosts

Your backyard could be a summertime oasis to an inner-city child. Many Fresh Air children have never left New York City. Visiting a host family is a chance to run through freshly cut grass, skip over a sprinkler and watch the night sky fill with stars.

Close to 5,000 New York City children visit volunteer host families in the Northeast for two weeks or longer each summer through the Fresh Air Fund's Friendly Town program.

"Hosting has changed our lives. It is fantastic for my children to welcome a child into our home and form a friendship. Our Fresh Air child adds a little more spark to the household," explains one host parent.

According to a press release, many families find their hosting experiences so rewarding that more than 65 percent of all children are reinvited to stay with host families, year after year.

This year, the Fresh Air Fund needs more families to volunteer as hosts for the Friendly Town program. There are no financial requirements, and the host family can choose the age and gender of their visitor.

First-time visitors range in age from 6 to 12 and can be invited back through the Fresh Air Fund until age 18.

For more information about hosting a child, contact Corinne LeBaron at (732) 513-3643 or call the Fresh Air Fund at (800) 367-0003. Additional information is available at www.freshair.org.