Randolph Family Reunites With Former Fresh Air Child, Helps With College Applications

“She is such a wonderful kid. We all cried this weekend when she left,” said host mom Jennifer Baxter of her former Fresh Air child, Dashonia. On the weekend of October 18, 2013, the Baxter family, of Randolph, NJ, was able to reunite during an impromptu visit with 19-year-old Dashonia, of Brooklyn, NY. Dashonia had been visiting the Baxter family every summer from 2004 to 2012 through The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program.

The Fresh Air Fund is an independent, not-for-profit agency that has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Each summer, over 4,000 children visit volunteer host families in rural, suburban and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada through The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program.

Dashonia was thrilled to be able to see her Fresh Air family again, especially host siblings Emma and Harry Baxter. “She’s really a big sister figure to my kids,” said Jennifer of their relationship. Emma Baxter was actually the reason that Jennifer and her husband Jack decided to become a host family. She came home from school one day with a Fresh Air Fund flyer and seemed really enthusiastic about wanting to become a host sister.

The Baxter family has also been hosting 13-year-old Jahaira since 2010. Together, Jahaira, Dashonia and the Baxters enjoy the simple things in life like swimming in the ocean, running around the yard and baking with fresh and healthy ingredients. The two girls both play different roles in the family, according to Jennifer. “Dashonia is like the big sister while Jahaira is more like a fellow peer,” said Jennifer.

During Dashonia’s most recent off-season visit, Jennifer and Jake were able to help her fill and send out her college applications. “It was a brand new experience for me that I cherish so much, they encouraged me to keep on going in school and never give up,” said Dashonia, who has so far applied to Onondaga Community College in Syracuse and Empire State College in Brooklyn. After her high school graduation in August, Dashonia is ready to move forward. “She really wants to do more with her life. She’s outgoing and could fit in anywhere. She’s magnetic. We want to help her in any way that we can,” said Jennifer.

It is clear that the Baxters and Dashonia have formed a special bond throughout the 10 years that they’ve known each other, thanks to The Fresh Air Fund. “It’s a great experience to be away from home, young and bonding with new people. You can learn many things and also teach many things. The Fresh Air Fund is like a sleep away camp with a host family. It’s never too late to sign up. Your child might feel homesick or frightened at first, but if they have a family like the Baxters, they will enjoy it and want to grow old with them,” said Dashonia.

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 in Randolph, please contact Jennifer Baxter, the local volunteer leader for the Southern Morris County area, at 1-973-895-2324 or visit The Fresh Air Fund online at www.freshair.org.