Program lets children enjoy outdoors
CRANBERRY TWP — The trees and grassy lawns of the township are a stark contrast from the urban surroundings of New York City.
This is the transition Israel Herrera, 10, has made the past four years as he participates in the Fresh Air Fund exchange program.
The Fresh Air Fund, a nonprofit organization based in New York City, sends children from low-income neighborhoods to stay with families who live in rural or suburban areas in 13 states and Canada during the summer.
Herrera stays with the Killough family in the township.
When they signed up, the family requested to be matched with a boy between the ages of 5 and 7, with the hopes of a child who would get along with their three sons, which happened almost immediately, Lisa Killough said.
“He's very at home here, he's one of the boys,” she said.
Killough said she first heard about the program when she got a flier at the Barnes and Noble bookstore and was instantly interested in participating.
One of the main benefits for the children is being able to be outside and enjoy summer activities they would otherwise not get to do.
“It's really fulfilling to do. It makes you appreciate summer more. The stuff they really enjoy is just being outside, riding bikes, swimming. Last night they were catching fireflies,” she said.
Herrera and the Killough family also get to do some sightseeing, including a trip to Pittsburgh.
“Every year we have a tradition, we go to a Pirates game and then we get a Jerome Burger (at Jerome Bettis' Grille 36),” Israel said.
Israel lives in an apartment building in the Bronx, and during the summer his opportunities for outdoor activities are limited.
“I mostly sit at home and do nothing,” he said. “The main thing I like doing is in the fall going back to school and playing basketball.”
The Killough boys said they look forward to the visit and even made a sign this year to greet Israel that read “Welcome to Pittsburgh Israel.”
“We wait for it all year. When he gets off the bus we just start screaming his name,” said Kolt Killough, 12.
Though they plan to keep in touch, this will be the last summer Israel visits the Killoughs. The family plans to move to Houston this year. The Fresh Air Fund doesn't pay to send children to places as far away as Texas.
Killough said she hopes the program can find another family to host Israel so he can still visit Western Pennsylvania next year.The Pittsburgh area houses three “Friendly Towns” or areas where buses of children arrive from New York City. A bus with 13 children arrived in Harmony July 3, while the Butler and Latrobe, Westmoreland County, Friendly Town buses will arrive later in the summer.In total, the area will host about 90 children this summer, said March Creeks, chairwoman for the Harmony Friendly Town and 11-year participant in the program.While the program means a lot of the children get to spend time in the country, the host families also greatly benefit from the experience, Creeks said.“It's been a rewarding experience for us. While I think we're giving something to the child, I think we're gaining more. I've seen growth in my children in interacting and sharing what we have with another child,” she said.Families interested in hosting a child must submit an application and go through a screening process including home visits and background check, Creeks said.There are always more children signed up for the program than host families available, so the organization continually looks to recruit participants and spread the word, she said.To learn more about the program visit freshair.org.
