When I heard the name of the Fresh Air Fund, I have to admit I was intrigued. Perhaps, living in Los Angeles has me somewhat skeptical of the concept of fresh air but when I learned what it was, I knew it was as good as it sounded.

It turns out its been around since 1877, who knew that kids needed to leave the city to get fresh air even then?  The story goes that in 1877, the Reverend Willard Parsons, who was a minister of a small rural parish in Sherman, Pennsylvania, asked members of his congregation to provide country vacations for children from New York City tenements.

This was the beginning of The Fresh Air Fund.

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The concept remains the same today, taking underprivileged youth out of New York City and giving them traditional summer vacations. Last year, close to 9,000 New York City children experienced the joys of summertime and fresh air.

A little dose of mother nature, good old summertime fun and opening our hearts to others is a breath of fresh air for all. Charity Matters.

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