If anyone is running in the upcoming NYC Half-Marathon on August 16 and would like to be part of a team and run for a great cause, the Fresh Air Fund is looking for racers to join their team. If you cannot make it to the race, sponsors are always needed! If you have additional questions or are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Kate @ runners@freshair.org or call (800) 367-0003 ext. 8890.
Some history of the Fresh Air Fund:
"In 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, an independent not-for-profit organization, was created with one simple mission — to allow children living in disadvantaged communities to get away from hot, noisy city streets and enjoy free summer experiences in the country.
When The Fund began, New York City was overflowing with poor children living in crowded tenements. Many of these youngsters were hit by a tuberculosis epidemic, and “fresh air” was considered a cure for respiratory ailments.
More than 130 years ago, the Reverend Willard Parsons, a minister of a small, rural parish in Sherman, Pennsylvania, asked members of his congregation to provide country vacations as volunteer host families for New York City’s neediest children. This was the beginning of The Fresh Air Fund. By 1881, the work of The Fund was expanding so rapidly that Reverend Parsons asked for and secured support from The New York Tribune. By 1888, The Fund was incorporated as “The Tribune Fresh Air Fund Aid Society.” Today, Fresh Air continues to benefit from the support of the media with invaluable assistance from The New York Times.
The Fund’s tradition of caring provides children with a much-needed respite from the inner-city streets. Thousands of youngsters enjoy summer experiences with volunteer hosts or attend one of five Fund camps in upstate New York.
The simplicity of our program is its strength. Looking back to 1877, we can reflect on how much has changed, and how much has stayed the same. The Fund began with a small group of youngsters heading for the country and went on to benefit more than 1.7 million needy children."
The Fresh Air Fund currently owns and operates five camps in upstate New York where every summer 3,000 children get a break from city life.
In 2008, thanks to the dedication of the runners and the generosity of supporters, the Fresh Air Fund-Racers Team and sponsors raised over $125,000 to go directly to the free programs for New York City children!
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