History
In 1877, The Fresh Air Fund was created to allow children living in disadvantaged communities to get away from hot, noisy city streets and enjoy free summer experiences in the country.
Reverend Willard Parsons, a minister of a small, rural parish in Sherman, Pennsylvania, asked members of his congregation to provide country vacations as volunteer host families for New York City’s neediest children. This was the beginning of The Fresh Air Fund. By 1881, the work of The Fund was expanding so rapidly that Reverend Parsons asked for and secured support from The New York Tribune. By 1888, The Fund was incorporated as The Tribune Fresh Air Fund Aid Society. Today, Fresh Air continues to benefit from the support of the media with assistance from The New York Times.
Read more about this topic: The Fresh Air Fund
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