>>> EVERY SUMMER THOUSANDS OF

NEW YORK CITY CHILDREN GET THE

CHANCE TO ESCAPE THE HOT, NOISY

CITY AND EXPERIENCE WHAT TOO

MANY PEOPLE TAKE FROM GRANTED,

THE GREAT OUTDOORS.

FOR OVER 140 YEARS THE NONPROFIT

FRESH AIR FUND HAS BEEN

PROVIDING FREE SUMMER VACATIONS

TO LOW-INCOME CITY KIDS GIVING

THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCOVER

A WHOLE NEW WORLD FULL OF LAKES,

TREES AND BONFIRES.

FOR TWO WEEKS THE CHILDREN ENJOY

OUTDOOR SUMMER ADVENTURES

THROUGH VISITS WITH VOLUNTEER

HOST FAMILIES, OR AT ONE OF THE

FUND'S FIVE OVERNIGHT CAMPS IN

UPSTATE NEW YORK.

THE FRESH AIR FUND ALSO PROVIDES

YEAR ROUND EDUCATIONAL

ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS BOTH AT CAMP

AND IN THE CITY.

JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT

THESE PROGRAMS AS PART OF OUR

CHASING THE DREAM INITIATIVE

WHICH FOCUSES ON POVERTY AND

OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA IS FRESH

AIR FUND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

FATIMA SHAWMA.

FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT KNOW, TELL

US MORE ABOUT YOUR ORGANIZATION,

AND ITS MISSION.

>> YEAH.

SO AS YOU SAID WE'RE -- THIS

SUMMER IS OUR 142nd SUMMER OF

SERVING CHILDREN FROM NEW YORK

CITY'S LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES,

UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.

WE STARTED IN 1877 IN THE LOWER

EAST SIDE WITH FAMILIES LIVING

IN THE TENEMENT COMMUNITY.

IS AND SO THAT MISSION REMAINS.

THE ISSUES THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE

FACING IN TOO MANY COMMUNITIES

ARE THINGS LIKE GANG VIOLENCE

AND FOOD INEQUITY, AND FOOD

INSECURITY, AND UNSAFE

COMMUNITIES.

AND SO WE STEP IN TO PROVIDE

FAMILIES AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET

THEIR CHILDREN, PROVIDE THEIR

CHILDREN THE CHANCE TO HAVE A

SUMMER.

>> AND THE KIDS COME FROM ALL

OVER THE FIVE CITIES?

>> ALL OVER THE FIVE BUREAUS.

WE TRY HARD TO WORK WITH

PARTNERS IN COMMUNITIES,

COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS,

SCHOOLS, FAITH INSTITUTIONS WHO

ARE OUR NETWORKS AND OUR ALLIES

ON THE GROUND.

WE REALLY WANT TO SERVE CHILDREN

THAT ARE RECOGNIZED AS LIVING IN

UNDERRESOURCED COMMUNITIES.

THAT'S A PRIORITY FOR US.

>> FATIMA, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF

THIS COMMUNITY HAS CHANGED

DRAMATICALLY THE LAST FEW

DECADES.

HOW IS THE FUND DEALING WITH

THAT?

>> ROOER -- SCHOOL COMMUNITIES,

IF YOU LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS

IN NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS,

WE'RE MIRRORING THAT, 35% OF THE

KIDS WE SERVE ARE

AFRICAN-AMERICAN, 30% ARE

LATINO, ABOUT 25% ARE ASIAN, AND

THEN A VARIETY OF OTHERS.

>> YOU KNOW, FOR MANY OF THESE

KIDS, AS I SAID IN THE

INTRODUCTION, IT'S THE FIRST

TIME THEY ACTUALLY GET OUT OF

THE CITY AND EXPERIENCE RURAL,

SUBURBAN AND SMALL TOWN

ENVIRONMENTS.

WHAT THE FEEDBACK YOU GET FROM

THEM AND THEIR PARENTS?

>> I'LL TALK ABOUT PARENTS

FIRST.

THE ONE THING I LOVE A TON IS

THE FACT THAT WE HAVE SO MANY

PARENTS WHO LOOK FOR US.

RIGHT?

WHEN A PARENT FINDS US I WOULD

SAY THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THEIR

CHILD TO HAVE AN EXPERIENCE, TO

SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT, TO TRY

SOMETHING NEW.

I WOULD CALL THAT COURAGE, BOTH

FROM THE PARENT'S PERSPECTIVE,

BUT THEN OF COURSE WHEN A CHILD

GOES ON THESE ADVENTURES, IT'S

COURAGE.

THEY'RE GETTING ON A BUS.

THEY'RE GOING TO A NEW

COMMUNITY, MAKING NEW FRIENDS

AND SEE NEW PLACES AND TRY NEW

THINGS.

IT'S EVERYTHING FROM VISITING

WITH A HOST FAMILY, BEING ON A

FARM, SEEING A RURAL COMMUNITY,

SEEING A WHOLE LOT MORE TREES

AND GRASS THAN MAYBE, YOU KNOW,

AS A KID FROM THE BRONX, THAT I

EVER SAW GROWING UP, IT MIGHT BE

GOING INTO A SUBURBAN COMMUNITY

IN THE TRI-STATE AREA.

IT TOOK A LOT FOR ME TO LEAVE MY

NEIGHBORHOOD.

FOR TOO MANY CHILDREN THAT'S THE

SAME REALITY.

YOU GO UP TO CAMP, EVERY CHILD

SWIMS EVERY DAY.

MANY OF OUR KIDS COME DON'T KNOW

HOW TO SWIM.

THEY LEARN HOW TO SWIM WITH US.

THEY GO ON AN OVERNIGHT, IN THE

PLANETARIUM THEY SEE THE STARS,

AND AT NIGHT SEE THEM FOR REAL

WHILE MAKING S'MORES.

>> WHAT'S THE LONG-TERM?

>> WE'VE HEARD FROM KIDS, THESE

EXPERIENCES LAST A LIFETIME WITH

THEM.

SO WE'VE COME UP WITH A SORT OF

BRAND -- THE SORT OF TAG LINE OF

A SUMMER CAN LAST A LIFETIME.

IT'S EVERYTHING FROM YOU'VE

LEARNED HOW TO SWIM, YOU'VE BEEN

IN A COMMUNITY WHERE YOU'VE MET

A ROLE MODEL, LIKE A CAMP

COUNSELOR WHO, YOU KNOW, IS

UNIVERSITY STUDYING ENGINEERING

AND THIS 10-YEAR-OLD BOY IS ALL

THE SUDDEN LIKE I'M GOING TO GO

TO UNIVERSITY AND STUDY

ENGINEERING, AND YOUR CAMP

COUNSELORS FROM EUROPE AND

YOU'VE LEARNED ALL OF THESE FUN

NEW PLACES THAT EXIST BECAUSE

THEY'RE IN ENGLAND AND YOU KNOW

A NEW SOCCER.

THE EXPOSURE IS INCREDIBLE.

IT'S ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT,

EXPOSURE OVERALL, NEW

VOCABULARY, NEW FRIENDS, A WHOLE

NEW WORLD.

>> SOMEBODY IS WATCHING NOW AND

WANTS TO PARTICIPATE IN YOUR

VOLUNTARY PROGRAMS, AS A

VOLUNTEER, WHAT DO THEY DO?

>> SO I WOULD SAY THERE ARE

SEVERAL WAYS TO PARTICIPATE.

THE FIRST IS WE CAN'T DO THIS

WORK WITHOUT VOLUNTEERS.

AND PRIMARILY BECAUSE OUR

VISITING HOST FAMILY PROGRAM IS

VOLUNTEER-BASED.

WE RECRUIT THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES

UP AND DOWN THE EAST COAST WHO

WOULD VOLUNTEER TO HOST A CHILD

FOR A MINIMUM OF A WEEK.

AND THAT PROCESS IS RIGOROUS,

BUT IT IS REALLY SHARING IN A

FAMILY A WHOLE FAMILY WAY, AN

EXPERIENCE WITH A CHILD.

THAT'S ONE WAY.

THE SECOND WAY, OF COURSE, IS IF

YOU WORK FOR A CORPORATION AND

YOU WANT TO VOLUNTEER, WE LOVE

CORPORATE VOLUNTEERS.

DURING THE YEAR, AS YOU

MENTIONED, WE HAVE TUTORS AND

MENTORS WHO WORK WITH US HELPING

TUTOR OUR KIDS, PROVIDE

MENTORSHIP TO OUR CHILDREN.

WE LOVE VOLUNTEERS, AND THEN OF

COURSE THE PRIMARY WAY TO HELP

US IS FINANCIALLY.

WE GET TO PROVIDE FREE

EXPERIENCES TO THOUSANDS OF KIDS

BECAUSE AMAZINGLY GENEROUS

PEOPLE CONTINUE TO GIVE.

AND WE CAN'T THANK ALL OF THEM

ENOUGH.

>> IN THE 20 SECONDS WE HAVE

LEFT, THERE'S A FAMILY OUT THERE

WHO WANTS THEIR KID TO

PARTICIPATE IN YOUR PROGRAMS,

WHAT DO THEY DO?

>> GO ONLINE, FRESHAIR.ORG.

SIGN UP.

WE HAVE EXPERIENCES THROUGH

AUGUST WITH VISITING HOST

FAMILIES.

WE'RE HERE TO SERVE, AND WE'RE

HONORED TO SERVE.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING

US TODAY, FATIMA.