This year our family decided to look into the Fresh Air Fund, an organization that takes kids from New York and places them with families throughout Ontario during the summer. This allows kids to experience life outside of the city and in many cases, get relief from the pressures in their family life.
This is something that my family did while I was growing up and was something I looked forward to doing with our own family.
When you sign up with the program there is a interview, you supply three reference people and you also tell the organization if you would like a boy or a girl, and the age range your family is looking for. We knew we needed a boy. We also asked for a younger boy in hopes that he could come year after year and we could build a relationship.
Cesar, age 7, from the Bronx
We were worried how Cesar would do with animals but the worrying was all for nothing. When we brought Cesar to our home, he jumped out of the van and gave our dog the biggest hug.
After giving the dog a hug, he chased chickens and within fifteen minutes of arriving, Cesar had already caught a chicken! For the next two weeks he chased chickens and loved every minute of it.
On Cesar's first morning in our home, he ran down the stairs after waking up. He ran past Adam and I eating breakfast, and he ran and ran in the grass. He climbed up the playground slide, slid down, ran to the trampoline and jumped, he ran back to the slide and just kept on running. He did this running with the hugest grin. It reminded us of animals being let out of their stalls in the spring time after a long winter.
Cesar and Tyler hit it off immediately. They played hours of LEGO when Cesar wasn't chasing chickens.
We spent our afternoons in the pool which Cesar loved. You could see him swimming better every day.
The Fresh Air Fund emphasizes that simple, home-made fun is good for the kids. When it is their first time leaving home, it is already overwhelming to them. Most of the kids live in apartments and never get the chance to play outside and even if they live near a park, there are safety issues.
Cesar was fearless. He wanted to try everything. He fit right in with our boys.
I had brought the boys to a park and while we were eating our picnic lunch, Cesar asked me why we had grass all over the place. Suddenly I found myself explaining the purpose of grass. I laughed at our conversation but it gave me a glimpse into his life.
We went to see the fireworks over the falls.
Cesar joined the kid's reading program at church and read 10 church library books in record timing.
Priceless!
When we signed up for the program we started praying for whomever would be joining our family. Cesar was an answer to those prayers. We loved having him over; we delighted watching him see and try new things for the first time. I especially realized how spoiled I was. His mom works many hours everyday. We can watch our kids head out the back door many times a day to play and run around outside. How many parents are trying to occupy their kids in apartments?
The Fresh Air Fund keeps in contact with your family to see how things are going while you have your child, they organize activities, and they offer support if you should need any.
It was a real pleasure to have Cesar in our home. We fell in love with our little guy.
So if you think I am trying to convince you to have a fresh air kid - I am!!
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