Blackstone Valley Families Wanted

Blackstone Valley Area families can enjoy a picture-perfect summer this year by inviting a Fresh Air child into your home! Close to 5,000 New York City children visit volunteer host families every summer through The Fund’s Friendly Town program in communities from Virginia to Maine and into Massachusetts. Hosting a child does not take much – just a little room in your heart and your home – but the experience creates friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.
“It’s always a special moment when we see our Fresh Air child’s face light up when he experiences something for the first time,” says one host parent.
Residents in and around the Blackstone Valley area can help light up the face of a Fresh Air child this summer by hosting through The Fresh Air Fund.
Bay State Parent magazine did a feature article on the program in its June 2006 issue. To read the article visit: http://www.baystateparent.com/news/2006/0601/Articles/006.html
Since 1877, New York City children growing up in low-income neighborhoods have been able to experience simple summer pleasures in rural and suburban communities. By welcoming visitors into their homes during the summer, host families give Fresh Air children an opportunity to escape the sometimes dangerous, hot and crowded city streets. Fresh Air host families can choose the gender and approximate age of their visitor, but first-time Fresh Air children are between the ages of six and 12. 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.

For more information on hosting a Fresh Air child, please contact Elaine Melinski at 508-278-3652 or The Fresh Air Fund at 800-367-0003. Also visit The Fund’s Web site at www.freshair.org.