Page 14 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • July 13, 2011 Fresh Air Fund children (continued from page 5) Willard Parsons, the minister of a small rural church in Sherman, Pennsylvania, asked members of his congregation to host children from the New York City tenements for the hottest weeks of the year. By 1884, Reverend Parsons had won the support of the New York Herald Tribune and the program expanded to suburban and rural communities all around Left: Glen Rock’s Eileen Kennedy and son Dylan with Jordan. Above: Ridgewood’s Rebecca Kingston and daughters Kayla and Maya meet Alisa. the New York City area. Based on figures from 2010, when 10,000 children were accommodated, the Fresh Air Fund has matched more than 1.7 million urban youngsters to suburban and rural families. The Fresh Air Fund also sponsors five camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York, and has 2,000 other youngsters participating in weekend camping. The organization also nurtures career development and shows how schools can be related to jobs and future employment through mentoring programs.