March Creeks first read about The Fresh Air Fund in her local newspaper back in 2004, and she and her family have been a part of The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Family Host Program ever since. The Creeks have developed a strong relationship with Adrian, 16, from the Bronx, NY, and his summer visits to Zelienople have become something the entire family looks forward to each year.
The Fresh Air Fund is an independent, not-for-profit agency that has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 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.
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Over the past six years, Adrian has become both a friend and brother to Andrew, Maura, and Trey. “Adrian has a great relationship with my children. He and Trey hit it off since day one, and Adrian is now one of Trey’s very best friends,” commented March. During his visits, Adrian goes along with the family routine, from playing outside to running errands to just enjoying a family dinner together. This year, Adrian and March visited the Andy Warhol Museum in downtown Pittsburgh, and the trip is one of March’s personal favorite memories.
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The Creeks also keep up with Adrian during the off season. This past winter, Adrian stayed with the family over Christmas break for a few days. “He came expecting no presents. He just was so happy to be with our family.” March commented. The Creeks spent Christmas Day with relatives in the area, whom Adrian has become close with over past visits. A few weeks later, the Creeks spent the day in New York City, and Adrian met them for dinner. These off-season visits are always a treat for both the Creek family and Adrian.
March encourages families to try the program out. Through her experience she has found that developing a strong relationship with a city child takes more than one year. “If you try it out one summer and it doesn’t quite match up to your expectations, try it again. It’s not always easy, but we aren’t doing it because it’s easy. Each year it gets better. Building a relationship takes time,” March said.
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 Zelienople for next summer, please contact Sam Bachman, the local volunteer leader, at 212-897-8929 or visit The Fresh Air Fund online at www.freshair.org.