Helping Children

THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2007, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. Three thousand children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.

Fresh Air children, boys and girls from 6 to 18 years old, visit over 300 Fresh Air Friendly Towns in the summer. Fresh Air children on first-time visits to Friendly Town host families are six to 12 years old and stay for 7-14 days. Most families have such a great summer with their Fresh Air child that 65% invite the child back the following summer.

There are trip dates set for August 2008 for over 200 children and they need host families to volunteer to host these inner-city children. The dates and locations are as follows:

8/11-8/21 New Jersey:

Warren County, Bergen County, Union County, Somerset County, Morris County, Hunterdon County

8/11-8/22Pennsylvania:

Lancaster, Akron, Christiana, Denver, Donegal, East Earl, Elverson, Lititz, Manheim, New Holland, Quarryville

New York: St. Massena, Ogdensburg, Potsdam

8/12-8/22 Harrisburg, Pa

8/15-8/22 Central Massachusetts:

Acton, Hopkinton, Lexington, Marlboro, Wayland

8/15-8/25 New York

Western Fingerlakes: Canandaigua, Canal Towns, Dansville Central New York: Fulton, Marcellus and Oswego

Massachusetts: Cape Cod

Pennsylvania: Doylestown, Upper Bucks, Lower Bucks, Chalfont

8/25-9/1 New York:

Columbia County Red Hook/Rhinebeck (Dutchess County) Albany County

If you do not live in these areas or cannot be a host family, maybe you could blog about it or donate to this organization. It is so sad to me that any child would need an organization like this, however, this is the world we live in.

Please remember the needy children in your daily prayers.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.