The Fresh Air Fund

The Fresh Air Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1877 to give children from underserved communities in New York City opportunities to spend time in the country. Its work began when Reverend Willard Parsons, after moving from New York City to a rural parish in Sherman, Pennsylvania, persuaded members of his congregation to host New York City children for free summer visits. The initiative developed into a large-scale social-service organization and has served more than 1.8 million children since its founding. The organization’s central program is Friendly Towns, a volunteer host-family network in suburban and small-town communities, primarily along the East Coast. Children generally enter the program between the ages of eight and fourteen through more than 90 participating social-service and community organizations in New York City’s five boroughs. First-time participants typically stay with a host family for one or two weeks. Children who are invited back by the same family can continue participating through age 18 and may return for longer visits in subsequent summers. Host families are volunteers rather than paying customers; local Friendly Town committees help recruit and screen families, verify references, conduct home interviews, support visits, and organize community activities. The Fresh Air Fund also operates residential camping programs. Five camps are located on the organization’s 2,300-acre Sharpe Reservation in Fishkill, New York, approximately 65 miles north of New York City, while Camp Junior is located in Harriman State Park. The camps serve different age groups and program goals, including outdoor recreation, environmental learning, creative arts, disability inclusion, leadership development, and career exploration. Camp Tommy focuses on older boys and combines outdoor activities with literacy, career-skills, technology, photography, and music programs. Hayden-Marks Memorial serves younger boys, while Anita Bliss Coler Camp serves girls and includes a Leaders-in-Training track. Camp Hidden Valley brings children with and without special needs together in an integrated camp environment. Camp Mariah provides adolescents with structured exposure to educational pathways and career possibilities. Beyond the summer season, the Fund offers weekend and off-season camping, Counselor-in-Training activities, leadership development, and year-round educational programming. Its Career Awareness Program begins with students in sixth grade and combines multi-year educational, recreational, and camping experiences. Participants can explore future studies and employment while developing communication, teamwork, independence, and supervisory skills. The organization’s stated purpose is to help children have new experiences, learn new skills, and gain new perspectives. Its model combines direct youth programming with volunteer engagement and community-based support. The Fund has historically relied on public awareness and media support to recruit host families and raise funds, including early support from The New York Tribune and later assistance from The New York Times. Today, it remains an active New York-centered youth-development charity rather than a commercial consumer brand.

The Fresh Air Fund originated in 1877 through the efforts of Reverend Willard Parsons. After moving from New York City to a rural congregation in Sherman, Pennsylvania, Parsons asked local families to host children from disadvantaged New York City neighborhoods during the summer. The idea reflected a nineteenth-century belief that access to fresh air, open space, and rural recreation could improve children’s health and well-being. What began as a local act of hospitality became an organized charitable program. By 1881, the number of participating children and host families had grown sufficiently for Parsons to seek institutional support from The New York Tribune. The newspaper’s involvement helped the program expand its reach and public visibility. In 1888, the organization was incorporated as the Tribune Fresh Air Fund Aid Society. Over time, its identity was shortened to The Fresh Air Fund, while its activities broadened beyond short rural visits. The host-family model eventually became known as Friendly Towns. Children between the ages of eight and fourteen are referred through participating social-service and community organizations in New York City. Volunteer committees in each participating town recruit and assess host families, check references, conduct interviews and home visits, and provide local support during children’s stays. Families typically host for one or two weeks, and children may return in later years when invited by the same household. The program is designed to create sustained relationships rather than a single recreational outing. The Fund later developed residential camping as a second major service. Its principal camp property, Sharpe Reservation in Fishkill, New York, covers approximately 2,300 acres and includes lakes, ponds, streams, and wooded trails. The organization established several specialized camps there, including programs for different age groups, gender-specific programming, inclusive camping for children with and without disabilities, leadership development, and career awareness. Camp Pioneer, which operated from 1948 to 1998, became Camp Tommy in 1999. Other facilities evolved around educational and developmental goals as well as recreation. Camp Tommy serves boys roughly twelve to fifteen years old and combines hiking and nature activities with cooperation and team building. Hayden-Marks Memorial serves younger boys and incorporates sports, boating, arts, science, technology, and other educational activities. Anita Bliss Coler Camp, commonly known as Camp ABC, serves girls and emphasizes confidence, independence, teamwork, environmental awareness, cultural arts, and physical fitness. Its Leaders-in-Training program introduces older campers to leadership and personal development. Camp Hidden Valley was designed as an integrated setting for children with and without special needs, including accessible recreational facilities and activities such as art, hiking, nature study, and creative writing. The Fund expanded its focus during adolescence through Camp Mariah and the Career Awareness Program. Camp Mariah provides a multi-week summer experience in which young people investigate educational routes and possible careers while taking part in outdoor activities. The related Career Awareness Program begins in sixth grade and continues for three years through a combination of New York City activities, camping, and educational programming. Off-season weekend camps and Counselor-in-Training programs provide additional continuity. Many Counselor-in-Training participants are former campers, allowing the organization to develop older youth into future supervisors and camp counselors. Camp Junior represents a further extension of the Fund’s community partnerships. Located in Harriman State Park, it was established in memory of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz and serves boys and girls from the Bronx. The program operates with public and civic partners, including New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the New York State Assembly speaker’s office, the Bronx borough president’s office, and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. Across its history, The Fresh Air Fund has retained its basic objective of giving urban children access to new environments and experiences while adding structured education, career exploration, inclusion, and leadership development. The organization continues to depend on charitable support, volunteers, community organizations, and public awareness. Its historical association with newspaper publicity began with The New York Tribune and later continued with assistance from The New York Times. The Fund reports that it has served more than 1.8 million children since 1877.

• 1999

  Camp Pioneer becomes Camp Tommy

  [1]The Fresh Air Funden.wikipedia.org

  The camp is renamed Camp Tommy and continues serving older boys through outdoor, educational, and leadership programming.

• 1948

  Camp Pioneer opens

  [1]The Fresh Air Funden.wikipedia.org

  The camp later renamed Camp Tommy begins operating as Camp Pioneer.

• 1888

  Incorporation as the Tribune Fresh Air Fund Aid Society

  [1]The Fresh Air Funden.wikipedia.org

  The organization is formally incorporated under the name Tribune Fresh Air Fund Aid Society.

• 1881

  The New York Tribune supports the expanding program

  [1]The Fresh Air Funden.wikipedia.org

  As participation grows, Parsons secures support from The New York Tribune, increasing the program’s public reach and organizational capacity.

• 1877

  The Fresh Air Fund is founded

  [1]The Fresh Air Funden.wikipedia.org

  Reverend Willard Parsons begins arranging free summer stays for children from underserved New York City communities with volunteer families in rural Pennsylvania.

A nonprofit youth-development organization connecting New York City children from underserved communities with safe rural and outdoor experiences, volunteer host families, residential camps, education, leadership development, and career exploration.

• Volunteer host-family program

  Friendly Towns

  Friendly Towns places children from underserved New York City neighborhoods with volunteer host families in suburban and small-town communities, primarily along the East Coast. First-time participants are generally eight to fourteen years old and stay for one or two weeks. Local committees recruit and screen hosts, coordinate activities, and provide support during visits. Children may return through age 18 when invited by the same host family.

• Residential summer camp · 1999

  Camp Tommy

  Camp Tommy serves boys approximately twelve to fifteen years old at Sharpe Reservation. Its program combines hiking, nature, and outdoor recreation with cooperation and team-building activities. The camp also incorporates literacy, career skills, computer workshops, photography, music, and other educational opportunities.

• Residential summer camp

  Camp Hayden-Marks Memorial

  Camp Hayden-Marks Memorial serves boys approximately nine to twelve years old. Activities include sports, cooperative games, boating, arts and crafts, drama, science, hiking, computers, video, music, and art. The program combines conventional camp recreation with educational enrichment.

• Residential summer camp

  Anita Bliss Coler Camp

  Anita Bliss Coler Camp, also known as Camp ABC, serves girls approximately nine to fifteen years old. Campers live in small groups and participate in activities intended to build confidence, independence, teamwork, environmental awareness, cultural engagement, and physical fitness. Its Leaders-in-Training program supports personal growth and leadership development for older campers.

• Inclusive residential summer camp

  Camp Hidden Valley

  Camp Hidden Valley serves girls and boys approximately eight to twelve years old, including children with and without special needs. Its integrated program includes art, hiking, nature, creative writing, and other group activities. An accessible pool complex supports campers who use wheelchairs, braces, or other mobility assistance.

• Career awareness and residential camp

  Camp Mariah

  Camp Mariah is the Fund’s career-awareness camp for adolescents. Its intensive summer sessions and weekend camping experiences combine outdoor activities with structured exploration of education, work, and career options. The camp is connected to a year-round program in New York City and is generally available to students beginning in sixth grade.

• Community residential camp

  Camp Junior

  Camp Junior operates in Harriman State Park for boys and girls approximately eight to fifteen years old from the Bronx. It was created in memory of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz and is run through a partnership involving The Fresh Air Fund, New York State Parks, civic officials, and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.

• Year-round youth education

  Career Awareness Program

  The Career Awareness Program supports New York City adolescents over a three-year commitment beginning after sixth grade. Participants take part in educational, recreational, and camping experiences in New York City and at Camp Mariah, with the aim of broadening educational choices and preparing young people for future work.

• Youth leadership development

  Counselor-in-Training Program

  The Counselor-in-Training program is designed for sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds, many of whom are former campers. Through summer and weekend activities, participants develop supervisory, communication, teamwork, and leadership skills that can prepare them for future camp-counselor roles.

1. 1The Fresh Air Funden.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Fresh Air Fund official websitefreshair.org