As you may have noticed from yesterday’s post, I’ve had “New York living” on the brain a bit. Lately, it’s been fairly good here. Truthfully: really good. I figured out a nice balance for my daily freelance & book-writing schedule. And, I recently scored an amazing apartment in a building and neighborhood that I absolutely adore. Oddly, when things are going well, I often think: “Yeah things are fine now, but this is only temporary. Any moment, my luck could change and I’d be really really struggling in New York like I was before.” I guess I try to stay somewhat balanced by remembering everything in life is cyclical. Things go up, they come down but they go back up again. Sometimes life is really good, sometimes I hit patches where everything’s really really shitty. In the end, the good stuff far outweighs that bad. I guess that’s what matters most, no?
Call it karma, Christian guilt, or whatever you want to but — since the city is being very kind to me — I feel like I should donate to a charity, volunteer, or do something else to give back. Many many months ago, I exchanged emails with a woman named Sara from The Fresh Air Fund. It’s a nonprofit that takes kids out of the city to get … wait for it, wait for it … fresh air. Having grown up in rural Illinois amidst the cornfields (no joke), I’m certainly a fan of getting out of Manhattan every so often. I miss stars. I miss huuuuuge, black, nighttime skies blanketed with an entire outdoor ceiling of millions of tiny little twinkling white dots. I miss nature. Fire flies on open fields. Sometimes, I swear I even randomly miss the smell of trees. It’s weird, but I do. Yeah, you know you’re a bumpkin when you know the texture and smell of tree bark. Hmm. Anyway. Keeping in step with my recent “Twanna Really Needs a Vacation / Needs to Get Out of New York” mood, I thought I’d re-visit an email exchange I had with the Fresh Air Fund People. Fret not, I haven’t changed. I still don’t like children. That said, I’m writing about them because I like writing all facets of interpersonal relationships (i.e. sex/dating, friendships, marriage, families, etc). And, I’m really into to health/nature as well personal growth stuff. So, in case you’d like to learn more about the Fresh Air Fund, here’s what I was able to gather via our (edited) email exchange:
ME: Who the hell are you guys? I feel bad, but I’ve never heard of The Fresh Air Fund. What’s this Friendly Town stuff?
SARA: Summertime is “Fresh Air” time for thousands of New York City children who visit volunteer host families in 13 northeastern states and Canada through the Friendly Town program. The Fresh Air Fund has provided free summer vacations in the country to more than 1.7 million children since 1877.
ME: Who are the kids?
SARA: Boys and girls, from six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for two weeks. Children who are reinvited by host families may continue with The Fund through age 18, and may enjoy extended trips. More than 65% of all children are reinvited to stay with the same host families, year after year.
ME: You said “host families.” What’s a typical host like?
SARA: Friendly Town host families are volunteers who open their hearts and homes to New York City children during the summer. Host families live in small towns, in the suburbs or on farms, and wish to share the simple joys of their communities. Hosts may arrange for Fresh Air visitors who are the same age and gender as their own children and who share the same interests and activities.
ME: Okay. I live in the middle of the city and I don’t like kids, so I’m probably not the best candidate for a Friendly Town host family. But, what if one of my readers wants to participate. What can they do and what will they get out of it?
SARA: Friendly Town host families often say they receive more from the program than they give. Host families open their homes to children who might not otherwise be able to enjoy a vacation away from New York City. Fresh Air children experience simple pleasures like running barefoot through the grass and gazing at star-filled skies. Through the eyes of Fresh Air children, families rediscover the beauty of their own communities.
Details: The Fresh Air Fund, 633 Third Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10017. www.freshair.org. For more information, call them at 1-800-367-0003.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
That sounds really cool. An organization like The Fresh Air Fund should be in every metro area.
good move…. did the Fresh Air Fund gig when in high school….. some of the people you will
meet….. you will know them the rest of your life….
this is great for your karma ….. life has been veddy,veddy good to and for you…. so by
paying it forward, you’re spreading that Love to all and any within your reach….
and it’s gonna be a stone gas… but…
lamesabassman…. beware the 6 yr olds…. they’re the worst…… smile…
Interesting idea…sort of like an exchange programme, but within the same country.
Air is overrated. Just ask any autoerotic asphyxiater.
They are one of my favorite organizations. I am city girl to the core but I appreciate and support the need to relax, relate and release.
Oh yeah. As a city kid who spent every single summer upstate at camp (lingering into my college years as staff) I can say that getting out of the city KICKS ASS for city kids and the Fresh Air Fund gets $ from me yearly, as does the YMCA Camps of Greater NY.
LexiB: They’re doing great work. Important work.
lamesabassman: That’s great you did the program.
A: I did “National Student Exchange” when I was in undergrad. Same premise — go live in a different part of the US for a while to see what like is like elsewhere. Loved it.
Baba Doodlius: That’s hilarious!! I laughed out loud when I read your comment :)
Fresh Air Fund: You’re welcome. It was my pleasure.
alicia: I think it’s healthy to get away. I need the balance. Whenever I’m in the city for too long, I feel like I need to get out to return to my sense of balance.
missbhavens: You’re inspiring!
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