Imagine growing up in a city environment where you rarely see a tree, a patch of grass, or a bird. Imagine having nowhere to play a game of baseball or play catch with your dog. Imagine a place where the only thing summer brings is sweltering indoor temperatures, with no vacation or fun outside of playing in the fire-hydrant spray.

For many children, this is inner-city life and the only life they know.

But the Fresh Air Fund is a non-profit that has been giving free summer experiences to poor children in New York City since 1877. During that time, they’ve helped more than 1.7 million children have a very different kind of summer vacation — a chance to breath some fresh air in a different, less urban environment.

In 2009, The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family program — called Friendly Town — gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.

The Fresh Air Fund relies on donations to provide memorable summers to NYC children.

But more importantly, the Fresh Air Fund needs host families for this summer.

If you have a home you’d like to open up to some inner-city kids for up to 2 weeks this summer, please check out their website, Fresh Air Fund Host Families for more information. It’s a rewarding experience for all involved, and it can be a life-changing experience for a child.

Dr. John Grohol is the founder & CEO of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 11 Feb 2010
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.