Fresh Air children from NYC take summer vacation in WNY area

Twenty-three smiling New York City children boarded buses on Aug. 7, headed for the Western New York area, to reunite with their host families at the bus arrival in Amherst.

This summer, more than 4,000 youngsters will enjoy a summer outside of the city with volunteer host families in suburban, rural and small town communities across 13 states, from Virginia to Maine and Canada, through The Fresh Air Fund's Volunteer Host Family Program.

"I'm excited to go swimming and to watch the stars at night. I can't see them at night in the city!" explained 10-year-old Tyrone about his Fresh Air experiences.

Many volunteer families find their hosting experience so rewarding that more than 65 percent of all children are reinvited to stay with the same host families, year after year.

Since 1877, 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.

For more information about hosting a Fresh Air child, call Chris Tedesco at 1-585-208-1241 or visit The Fresh Air Fund online at www.freshair.org.