Community Corner

City Kids Reunite with Host Families in Commack

Fresh Air Fund provides free summer vacations for New York City children through local host families.

There were lots of new, smiling faces in Commack over the weekend, when dozens of children in the Fresh Air Fund, met their summer host families at the Target parking lot.

The Fresh Air Fund,  a nonprofit founded in 1877,  places New York City children for a week with families in a small town to enjoy a different kind of environment. Many children, between the ages of 6 and 18, stay with the same host family summer after summer. A bus of 21 city children have arrived in Commack July 18 to spend the week with local host families, with a second trip coming in August. 

For the kids, it's a chance to explore the parks, go swimming and enjoy the beach. For host families, it's a time to make or reunite with friends and enjoy the company of another child.

“Just swimming in the pool is really fun because we get to relax and cool-off,” said host sibling Daniel Desmond of Commack. “I don’t consider Elton a friend anymore, I consider him a member of my family.” The Desmond family has hosted Elton since 2010.

“This has been an amazing experience and I love how it’s taught my children to think of others and to welcome people into our home,” host Pamela Desmond added. 


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