LOCAL MANAHAWKIN RESIDENT TAKES HER FRESH AIR FRIEND TO PROM

Contact: Samantha Doyle / 609-290-1219

Hannah Beck / The Fresh Air Fund / 212-897-8890 / @Freshairfund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LOCAL MANAHAWKIN RESIDENT TAKES HER FRESH AIR FRIEND TO PROM

On Saturday, May 14th, Manahawkin resident Corey Doyle attended her junior prom accompanied by her 16-year-old Fresh Air friend Desean from the Bronx. The two had been best friends for years—the Doyle family met him nine years ago, when both he and Corey were seven years old, and the Doyle family hosted Desean for the first time through The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Towns Program. To make sure that Desean was dressed for the very special occasion, Macy’s provided a $250 gift card for him to shop at the Macy’s Bay Plaza location in the Bronx, NY for his tuxedo.

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free, enriching summer experiences and academic programs for more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income neighborhoods. Each summer, close to 4,000 Fresh Air children visit suburban, rural, and small town communities across the East Coast and Ontario, Canada through The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Towns Program. Fresh Air children are boys and girls, from seven to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children who are reinvited by host families may continue with The Fresh Air Fund through age 18 and can enjoy extended trips.

Samantha Doyle, Corey’s mother and Desean’s host parent, reflected over the past nine summers with Desean. “At seven-years-old, Desean came to us with such a funny and sunny personality that fit right in with our family.” Over the years, Desean became a summer regular with the Doyle family, meeting and getting along with all their neighbors and friends. Samantha said he had met many of Corey’s friends at school, and became friends with a lot of them himself after all of his time spent in Manahawkin. Samantha says: “Everyone who knows Desean loves him. We’re so lucky that he became such a big part of our lives.”

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. For more information about hosting a Fresh Air child this summer, please contact Samantha Doyle at 609-290-1219 or visit The Fresh Air Fund online at www.freshair.org.

###