NanceXToo Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Hey all, I was wondering if any of you have had any experience with volunteering for The Fresh Air Fund. I am really interested in hosting a child this summer. It would be my first time! I think it would be such a great experience, both for the child we host AND for us/my kids. I filled out an online query thing for additional information and it said that sometime in the next couple of weeks I would receive an "information packet" and that someone would be in touch with me. I could not seem to find out if only specific towns/cities in that are 'approved towns' so to speak or if it's the entire state as long as your state is one of the ones they use; I had come across a reference to the fact that "there are 305 'friendly towns'" overall, in 16 states, but no listing of what specific towns those are. So I was curious if anyone knew about that, and can tell me about how the interview/application process went, and what the visit with the host child was like and stuff like that. I'd want a 9-10 year old girl, someone my daughter's age. Anyone have any experiences to share? :) I'm a little nervous about how the interview will go, btw. I hope they don't hear that my husband is a tattoo artist, for example, or that I homeschool my kids, and get some preconceived notions about either one of those things and go "uh you won't be suitable" lol. Last summer I already had a bit of a bad experience when I tried to volunteer for a local place that works with pregnant and parenting teens, it was supposed to be doing mentor and parenting class type stuff, and the place turned me away because I'm not Christian. Despite the fact that the focus would have been on parenting skills, not religion. But hopefully for this none of that will matter :D And we can certainly get several "professional references" from people we know. But anyway, yeah, I'm just wondering if anyone has any stories/experiences to share with me. Thanks! :) Nance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I am thinking about hosting a child this summer as well. I know lots of folks who have done this, including my parents when I was a tot. I am not sure why i have waited so long. It's an old, established program. I personally have not heard bad stories. I have a woman's number on my bureau. I should call... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 He visited us every summer for 2 wks from age 6 to 12. The last time was already 6 yrs ago! Before you host, you will have to fill out forms for a background check and they will also inspect your home. They look for dangerous things - they told us we should cover the paint cans in the garage so they would be out of sight (which was wise advice - see end story). I highly recommend The Fresh Air Fund! The coordinators are very good and if you have a problem kid they will help you and even take the kid to their home if it doesn't work out (that's how it use to be). We had a few minor problems with our boy but all in all it was a good experience for our family. I would suggest a girl a year younger because city kids tend to grow up faster. Expect to have to watch her more closely than your own dc. The last time he visited (12yob) he was bored and spray painted white his bike we bought for him in the garage RIGHT next to my NEW black SUV (none got on my vehicle)! That was the last time we hosted him. He was almost like a man in a boy's body and needed more stimulation than our family could provide at that time (he was use to roaming the city on his own at that point). It's only two weeks and if the girl works out you can invite her back next year or not. If not, you can request another girl the following year or just not do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 We hosted Fresh Air kids from NYC every summer when I was growing up. I remember one girl that was only 6 or 7, but talked about s*x acts with a boy on the bus from NYC to MD. I would recommend lots of supervision when your FA child is with your dd, just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 I've worked with a representative from The Fresh Air Fund in a publicity capacity (on my blog). Let me know if you'd like me to put you in touch with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted April 11, 2010 Author Share Posted April 11, 2010 Hm maybe I will ask for one a year younger! That is crazy about the paint job by the way!! lol, oh man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 I have never heard about this. It sounds neat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted April 11, 2010 Author Share Posted April 11, 2010 Hi Sarah, Thanks for that offer! Is she a regional representative from your area though...? I imagine I would need to talk to someone from my area... I'm really not sure how it works, exactly! I live in PA. I read a section on their website that says: "How do local Friendly Towns work? In every Friendly Town, there is a volunteer committee and Chairperson responsible for the program. The committee publicizes the program, screens applications, checks references, interviews families in their home..." etc. ...so I don't know if that means that my town has to be one that's already got an established committee; or whether as long as there is a committee in or around my county or what. I wish they made that clearer on their site! Then it says: "Friendly Town Chairpeople are supervised by regional volunteer Fresh Air Fund Representatives who report to New York City staff." So I'm assuming whoever I talk to has to at least be in my "region" (and I'm not sure if that means my state, my county, my town, or I don't know what). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 My in laws did this every year for 17 years. They ALL loved it. They had no issues through the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 We have friends that hosted for many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted April 15, 2010 Author Share Posted April 15, 2010 I thought I would bump this to see if anyone else had any input but also to update! I got a letter in the mail and it provided some additional information about the program and it gave me the name and number of my local representative. I called and talked to her on the phone and she will be coming to our house this weekend for the interview and to see the house and everything. I'm excited! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted April 18, 2010 Author Share Posted April 18, 2010 Well, not sure if anyone else is remotely interested in this topic lol but I thought I would say that we had our interview/meeting today at our house with our area representative and it went great. She said she thought we would make a great host family and that she will be recommending us. We will hear back in 1-2 weeks after they have a chance to do the background checks and reference checks. I thought I would share something she told me, which is that they NEVER have enough host families for this program. There are always more kids than there are host families, and some kids never get to go and experience life outside of the inner city. She said there are kids who actually pack their bags and show up at the bus station in NYC on 'standby' so to speak, just HOPING that another kid got sick or backed out or had something come up at the last minute, so that they might have a chance to go in their place. So I'm really glad that we are doing it this year, and if any of you have been considering it but just haven't gotten around to it- you should! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 I'm so glad you posted this! When I was 11 or 12, my mom and dad hosted Marcela, a little girl from inner city Cleveland, for a week. I thought it was thru an organization called "Friendly Town," which I now see is really the FAF! I had two older brothers, so this was like having a sister for a week. She was black, and that was brand new to me and just about everyone around me, too. I grew up in a basically all white town--nicknamed "Caucasion Falls." Anyway, Marcella and I had a fabulous time, and I'll always remember her visit. I learned to ride a two-wheeler while she was there, and she did, too. I didn't ride before because I was too afraid and couldn't balance, and she didn't because she didn't have a bike. Anyway, it was a wonderful visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted April 19, 2010 Author Share Posted April 19, 2010 Thanks for the response, Chris! I'm glad it was a good experience for you! By the way....that town, was it in Ohio by any chance? Because one of my brothers lives in Ohio in a town called Cuyohoga Falls...not sure if I'm spelling that right, but I remember him telling me that town was nicknamed "Caucasian Falls"! Just curious if there were two different towns with that nickname or if you by chance grew up in the same one haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marion716 Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 So glad to hear this post about the Fresh Air Fund. We have hosted 7 Fresh Air children over the past 18 years and I have been a local chairperson for about 6 years. This program is absolutely wonderful. 65% of the children who come out to the country for a week or two do so year after year with the same family and build wonderful friendships with the family. We have been so blessed by hosting. For more information, go to their website http://www.freshair.org and if you want more information, fill out a form there and they will connect someone local with you. It'll be one of the best things you'll do all year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted April 19, 2010 Share Posted April 19, 2010 Thanks for the response, Chris! I'm glad it was a good experience for you! By the way....that town, was it in Ohio by any chance? Because one of my brothers lives in Ohio in a town called Cuyohoga Falls...not sure if I'm spelling that right, but I remember him telling me that town was nicknamed "Caucasian Falls"! Just curious if there were two different towns with that nickname or if you by chance grew up in the same one haha. Oh, no Way! Small world! Pm me with his name! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted April 19, 2010 Author Share Posted April 19, 2010 Marion, that's awesome! We are really excited about it and looking forward to it. I am sure we will have a lot of fun. We already have a four day camping trip booked and it so happens that one of the scheduled Fresh Air Fund trips coincides with that, so we immediately said we'd love to have the girl come camping with us, that would be a blast for the kids! I think it's sad that they don't ever have enough families, hopefully more people will hear about it and give it a try! Chris, I PM'd you! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marion716 Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 I'm sure you will have a wonderful time camping. We've camped with several of our FAF children and I often think that it must be such an amazing experience for them to think that you can actually sleep "outdoors" with no safety protection during the night and it would be so peaceful. Plus seeing stars, catching fireflies, etc. while camping---WOW! We are always blessed to get phone calls or emails from new people who are interested in hosting. This program has been around for over 130 years (yes, that's correct) but part of our job as chairpeople is to keep getting the word out to new families so we'll continually have more homes for children to go to. The BEST PR that we have, though, is happy families who tell other friends and neighbors that it was a great experience and the fever spreads. So, make sure you let friends and neighbors meet your fresh air child and encourage them next year to give it a try. Wishing you all the best, Marion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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