With her sons in college and high school, and her middle-school-aged daughter headed to ballet summer camp, Christina Fagerstal thought that she and her husband might have an empty house for a few weeks. Then a fellow New Canaan mom came to the Fagerstals’ church to speak about her experience hosting a child through the Fresh Air Fund.
“I thought, why not have a little one come stay instead,” Fagerstal explained.
Six-year-old Jose arrived to the Fagerstals’ house in that summer of 2013 from Spanish Harlem. He spent each morning at a New Canaan summer camp, swimming and playing tennis. After camp, Fagerstal would take Jose to the library or to local parks to play on the playground and walk on the nature trails.
“He loved visiting the Norwalk Maritime Center, and participating in summer evening activities like the Summer Theatre of New Canaan and a Fourth of July barbecue,” Fagerstal said, adding that often the best times with Jose were the simplest. “After a while it is nice also just to hang out at home, especially in the back yard, and take in the sounds of summer.”
The Fresh Air Fund is an independent, not-for-profit agency providing thousands of inner-city children with free summer experiences each year. Children stay for one to two weeks with families in over 300 rural and suburban communities – called Friendly Towns – in 13 states from Virginia to Maine, and into Canada. Fresh Air Fund children come from many different backgrounds, but most share the common experience of having never been outside of the city. Since 1877, nearly two million kids have experienced the simple joys of Fresh Air vacations.
Nineteen New Canaan families hosted Fresh Air Fund visitors last summer. The Fagerstals were one of those families, welcoming Jose for the fourth summer in a row to their New Canaan home. Much has changed since his first visit.
“When Jose first came up to stay with us from the city, he was very afraid of walking in the woods,” Fagerstal said. “But during his second visit, he really started to embrace the outdoors. One of my favorite memories is when we went to walk at Mianus Park with our dogs and waded in the river there. Since then he has expressed no fear of the woods and has been an avid hiker.”
The Fresh Air Fund is looking for New Canaan families to host a child between the ages of 6-12 for one to two weeks in their home this summer. Many host families have young children themselves, and some – like the Fagerstals – have older children or an ‘empty nest.
To learn more information about hosting a child or to attend one of the April 4, April 25, or May 17 informational meetings, contact Lisa Hill at lhill10514@gmail.com or visit freshair.org.
Top: Carl Fagerstal, left, Anders Fagerstal, Ronja Svensk, and Maria Fagerstal. Bottom: Dick Fagerstal and Jose. Dogs: Christa and Sophie.
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