WILBRAHAM – A group of 30 New York City (NYC) children are being welcomed to Wilbraham and staying in Western Massachusetts for up to two weeks through the Fresh Air Fund. The Fresh Air Fund program gives children from ages 7 to 18 the opportunity to vacation in the area and experience suburban life, as opposed to the city streets.

The Fresh Air Fund has been in operation since 1877, giving over 1.8 million NYC children from low-income communities the opportunity to experience a free vacation in areas all over the United States.  The children live with host families in rural, suburban, and small town communities in Southern Canada and along the East Coast, according to a release from the Fresh Air Fund.

Families from Wilbraham and Windsor Locks, CT, take part in the Friendly Towns Program division of the Fresh Air Fund.  Fresh Air Fund Communications Intern Hannah Hwang reported there are 30 host families in the two towns that welcome children from NYC annually.

“The kids come from all five boroughs of New York, ranging from different cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic levels.  Languages spoken in their homes include Albanian, Arabic, Bambara, Chinese, Creole, French, Fuloni, Georgian, Igbo, Indonesian, Korean, Mixteco, Nepali, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tibetan, Twi, Urdu, Vietnamese, Wolof and Yoruba,” Hwang told Reminder Publications.

The program gives children from the city the opportunity to experience activities that they may not be able to take part in living in the city.

“The families usually plan activities that Fresh Air children don’t have easy access to in NYC.  This includes swimming, hiking, backyard barbecues, playing outdoor sports, going to the beach, star gazing and catching lightning bugs,” Hwang stated.

A group of children arrived on July 10, and another group will be arriving on Aug. 2.  Their visits range from one to two weeks.

If a family would like more information on how to become a host family in the future, contact the Fresh Air Fund Chairperson of Longmeadow Nuala Sullivan-Wall at 519-7909. For more information about the Fresh Air Fund, go to www.freshair.org.