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Fresh Air Fund Allows Brooklyn Boy to Summer in Cold Spring
This August Jackie and Josh Hadden of Cold Spring and their six-year-old son Max welcomed back eight-year-old David Simpson of Brooklyn to their home through The Fund's Friendly Town program. This was David's second year with the Haddens. Each summer, close to 5,000 New York City children visit volunteer host families in rural and suburban communities throughout 13 northeastern states and Canada through The Fresh Air Fund.
Inspired by Josh's grandmother's amazing experience hosting a Fresh Air child when he was younger, he and his wife decided to participate as well. Although it is only their second summer together, Jackie has a hard time coming up with just one memory that really sticks out to her. "There are so many already!" she says. With being only two years apart, Max Hadden and David get along extremely well. They both enjoy swimming in the Hudson River, camping out in a tent in the backyard, going for bicycle rides and picking berries at a nearby orchard.
"One thing that David loves to do is catch fireflies. The boys try to catch them every night! It's nice to see that the simplest of things that we sometimes take for granted can be so much fun for someone else. Whether we will be outside barbequing or relaxing inside he is always amazed at how quiet it is. You can tell that the tranquil environment is something he really loves up here. This experience doesn't just benefit the person coming to visit but it benefits my family as well."
The Fresh Air Fund is an independent, not-for-profit agency which has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air programs annually. Each summer, close to 5,000 children visit volunteer host families in suburban and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and into Canada. 3,000 children also attend five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund's year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year. For more information on becoming a host, please call Josie Schlem at (845) 621-3760 or Lisa Roland at (212) 213-6084. You may also call (800) 367- 0003 or visit The Fund's Web site at www.freshair.org.
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