Local Fresh Air Family Shares Experiences

On one cold, snowy Friday evening in January, Mike Fisher and his daughter Brittany made the long trip from their home in Boscawen to New York City to pick up their Fresh Air child Shaquel. When they arrived at his Harlem apartment, they found that Shaquel had been sitting at the window for hours waiting. Even though they didn’t arrive back in New Hampshire until after midnight, Sally Fisher and Shaquel still stood up late talking. After all, they had a lot to catch up on.

Sally Fisher, her husband Mike, and their daughter Brittany, first welcomed Shaquel to the Boscawen community this past summer through The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program, and enjoyed a recent visit over Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Weekend with their Fresh Air child.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income neighborhoods since 1877. Each summer, over 4,000 inner-city children visit suburban, rural, and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada through The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program.

When Sally mentioned, during Shaquel’s first visit in the summer of 2013, that the nature trail near their house made for perfect sledding in the winter, she knew that she had to bring him back when there was snow on the ground. Starting around Christmas, Shaquel began making phone calls almost every day until the family settled on a visit over Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. During his visit, the family mostly stayed around the house, reading, chatting, and, of course, playing in the snow.

The Fishers enjoyed hosting a belated Christmas party over the long weekend and were not surprised that Shaquel was the most popular guest. “He fits in with everybody,” says Sally, who claims that family friends go out of their way to visit when Shaquel is around.

During his summer visit, the family enjoyed visiting Franstead Family Campground in Franconia, catching crabs at Wells Beach in Maine, or just playing volleyball and wiffle ball. The Fishers are already looking forward to having Shaquel back this summer for more camping, swimming, and backyard sports.

Both Brittany and Shaquel keep a photo album and journal where they record each day’s adventures. Sally remarked that despite an age difference, they’re just like brother and sister. “He just fit into our lives,” she claims. “We didn’t have to change a thing.” Brittany plans on presenting her experiences with Shaquel for her senior graduation project this spring, with hopes of encouraging more people to try the program that has changed her life.

In between Shaquel’s visits, the family keeps in touch through regular phone calls. Sally noted that he even keeps in contact with her parents, and he called them after receiving a Halloween card last year. For the Fishers, Shaquel’s stays in New Hampshire are the biggest reason to look forward to warmer weather.

The Fresh Air Fund is always seeking host families to enable as many New York City children as possible to benefit from a summer experience outside of the city. To learn more about how to become a host family this summer, please call Ellen Ward at 603-731-4721 or visit The Fresh Air Fund online at freshair.org.