The Fresh Air Fund has kicked off its 138th summer of providing thousands of inner-city New York children summer experiences in the country, and it’s not too late to sign up to host kids in St. Lawrence County this summer.

Fresh Air summers are filled with children running barefoot through the grass, gazing at star-filled skies or swimming for the first time. Each summer, over 4,000 inner-city children visit suburban, rural and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada through The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Fresh Air children are boys and girls, from six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for one or two weeks. Children who are reinvited by host families may continue with The Fresh Air Fund through age 18 and can enjoy extended trips.

Over 65 percent of all children are reinvited to stay with their host families, year after year.

For more information on hosting a Fresh Air child, please contact Earline LaFleur at 315-528-2700 or visit The Fresh Air Fund online at www.freshair.org.