This summer, kids from New York City have been boarding buses for Vermont, to spend a week or more with host families here. All of this is organized by the Fresh Air Fund, an organization that aims to give low-income kids in New York the opportunity to get out of the city for a bit in the summer, and take a free vacation. Many host families end up forging close bonds with the children that come to stay with them, and invite the same kids back year after year.
That’s been true for Deb Olsen of Charlotte and her family, who have been Fresh Air Fund hosts for 17 years.