Former Fresh Air Stories

For thousands of New York City children, The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Town program opens doors to new experiences and gives them the chance to be children and make new friends. Former Fresh Air children who are now adults often credit the Friendly Town program for making a lasting impact on their lives. Decades after their Fresh Air experience, Fresh Air memories and host families remain cherished parts of their lives.

We asked former Fresh Air children to reflect on their Fresh Air stories. Read on to see why Fresh Air experiences can be truly unforgettable.

Gil Sanchez

This past summer, on July 21, 2009, marked Gil Sanchez's 40-year relationship with his Fresh Air Fund host family, the Skoniecnys, from Litchfield, Connecticut...

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Harriet Liss

Harriet Liss grew up in a disadvantaged neighborhood of Brooklyn in the midst of the Great Depression. In 1932, when she was seven years old, she boarded a train from Grand Central Station to spend two weeks on a farm in upstate New York...

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Frankie "El Gato" Figueroa Jr.

Frankie “El Gato” Figueroa Jr., a Bronx-born boxing champion, has stayed close to his Fresh Air Fund host family for twenty-four years...