A Breath of Fresh Air for NYC Kids

As the doors of the bus opened and children descended, some were greeted with open arms while others held back, nervously waiting for host parents who had not yet arrived. Families from Danbury, Newtown and more will be hosting Fresh Air children for the next two weeks.

"We are very excited and hope this is a good experience for all of us," said Jamie Rose of Danbury, who has never hosted a child before.  "Tomorrow we are going to get manicures, and on Saturday, we are going to a show at the park in New Canaan.  The three of us laughed at being excited and nervous, but we are more excited."

 Mary Sineci from Newtown picked up Aza Mae Smith, 9, from the Bronx, the youngest of eight children at home. Aza's mother wanted her to have the chance to be an only child, and this is the fourth year that Aza has come out to stay.

 “I am a teacher and I don't have kids,” said Sineci. “Being with Aza gives me a chance to relive my own childhood memories.”

 “The first time Aza was here, I drove her around the neighborhood to show her where we lived. She rolled down the window and yelled, “I have arrived!” This year, Sineci painted the phrase on the side of her car in anticipation of Aza's arrival.

 The bond between Sineci and Aza is real. “My mother was looking for a gift online and we saw this necklace. We thought it would be nice,” said Aza.

 “It's a mother daughter necklace,” said Sineci. “Aza said, “The big head is you and the small head is me.”

 Aza talked about what it means to her to come to CT. “It's quiet and I know that when I grow up, I may want to live here.”

 Shawnelle Francois has come to stay with Laura Craighead's family in Ridgefield. He started coming when he was six and he is now 14. Shawnelle said, “My favorite thing is I come out here and have fun with these guys. I play with the dogs and I never have to stay inside.”

 Shawnelle's mother is in Iraq and he has not seen her since April, and he lives now with his grandmother, so it is especially fun to get out of the city to visit with his CT family.

 Little seven year old Angelica Kenny is here in the country for the first time, and she said, “Before I thought I would never go on a bus. I was never in the country before. It looks very nice, pretty much all I see is trees. I think I am going to love it here. I am hoping to see new kinds of bugs, and I am hoping to see a deer, but not a cow,” said Angelica. “Cows are stinky.”

 Hannah Schreewind and her two boys James and Sebastian Gikas are welcoming Marquis Swinney into their Westport home. “We talked on the phone and we promised Marquis we wouldn't serve him any slimy green vegetables,” she said. Marquis screwed up his face in an impressive display of distaste. “We'll find something for him, maybe green peppers, they're crunchy.”

 The older of the two Shreewind boys, James, is looking forward to having a new playmate. “My brother is really fun, but sometimes it gets a little boring so it will be really nice to have Marquis. We are going to play, swim in our pool. We are definitely planning on playing outside and going to the beach.”

 “We just moved from the city and the summer there is long and hot. We are happy to help someone get out of the city for a while,” said Schreewind.

 Two families from Fairfield are also excited about their new family member. Erin Hermann said they are welcoming Moses Moise back for the second year. Moses is happy to be here. He said, “I don't like where I live. It's noisy and crowded. When I am here, we go in the woods, swim, go to amusement parks. We do a lot of things.”

 Besty Fertman, also of Fairfield, spoke with Herman about the experience of having a Fresh Air child in the home. She said, “I think my kids get the most out of it. And it's not always easy. Even if it was my family, two weeks with someone in the home can be hard. But we connect with other Fresh Air moms, they are our saving graces. We become good buddies and share experiences.”

 Weston mom Kendall Webb said, “We have three boys and a girl at home, so we thought it would be great to have another girl. We really love her. She has lots of energy and she always wants to try new things. As a mom, I connected with her a lot from the very first day, maybe even more than my kids do.”

 Many families stay in touch with their Fresh Air kids year round. Webb said, “I've gone with my daughter to the Bronx and taken Kayla out for her birthday, and I took her to a Broadway show. She's part of our family.”

 The Fresh Air Fund representative for most of southwestern and western CT, Weston's Martha Mintzer, said that this experience has a lasting effect on families and children alike. “I grew up with having Fresh Air kids in the home. I put a lot of time into coordinating this. Everyone gets something out of this, just look at all the smiles.”

 Sure enough, all of the children were running and playing ball and some were crouched down examining bugs and dirt. Any signs of nervousness or hesitation seemed to have disappeared.

 “Knowing you can make a difference in people's lives is important,” said Mintzer. “My friend in Darien held a wedding for their child who had been coming out from New York since she was six. The dad in Darien walked her down the aisle. It totally and utterly changed her life.”

 The biggest concern most hosting parents have is whether or not the children are screened before they come.

 “They are not,” said Mintzer. “But they are referred by Boys and Girls Clubs, church groups, after-school programs and community outreach. And the children's parents, they want to know the same thing about where they are sending their children, they are just as nervous. We do screen the families. We meet and interview them, we do background checks, and the biggest litmus test for us is whether or not we would let our children stay in this house, and sometimes, the answer is no.”

 Chairperson of the Newtown/Monroe Friendlytown, Karen Montagna, said,“After eight years coming out here, our child still loves the lightening bugs. She runs right out the first night to see them. The parents who send their kids out here, they want the best for them. I asked one mother, how could she do it? Her answer was, How could I not.”