Fresh Air Fund Brings City Kids to Commack

For Russell Gomes, playing a role in the Suffolk chapter the Fresh Air Fund, is something he's done since childhood.

The nonprofit gives children who live in the urban landscape of New York City an opportunity to stay with families in suburban or rural areas. And, growing up in Northport, Gomes was first introduced to the organization when his family would play host to visiting city kids.

These days he has a more active role.

"I became the Fund's Chairperson for Western Suffolk in 2001, but my family has been a host family since 1999. We have always hosted the same boy who turns 18 this year," said Gomes who, along with his wife and two children, is hosting Davon again this summer.

On Aug. 16, the Fresh Air Fund will stop in Commack, dropping off kids at the Henry Street Target for participating families to pick up.

According to Fresh Air Fund spokeswoman, Kate Brinkerhoff, this is a central place for Suffolk families. The fund is still accepting participants.

The Fresh Air Fund started in 1877 to give a free summer experience outside the city to the 1.7 children in the five boroughs who come from disadvantaged families. Currently, 300 towns in 13 states and Canada have volunteer families participating in the Friendly Town program, which includes Commack.

The program, which has about 4,500 children aged 6 years old to 12 years old sends a child to a host family for a week during the summer. The program is open to anyone, not just traditional families.

To become a host, you have to fill out an application. A background check and home inspection follow, and once approved the applicants can choose the age and gender of the child they wish to host, either during a designated week in July or August.

"It's like a glorified sleepover for the city kids. They are just doing what the host family does," Gomes said.

Their other program sends about 5,000 kids from the five boroughs ages 13 years old to 18 years old to camps in Fishkill, N.Y. each summer. Two of those camps are named for the people who sponsor them: Camp Mariah is named for singer Mariah Carey, and Camp Tommy is for designer Tommy Hilfiger.

Gomes said the host family's kids learn a lot also. "They get to learn more about urban upbringing, how those kids go about their day as opposed to the kids who grow up out here. My kids see that not everyone lives like they do. And they learn more about themselves and other people," he said.

For the city kids, they see another side to the life they have. "They see they are not destined to live in the city if they don't want to. There is a choice to live where you want, and that's a great benefit especially to those kids who have not had a chance to get outside the city before," Gomes said.