When Karen Brennan read an article about The Fresh Air Fund, she was immediately drawn to the idea of welcoming a New York City child into her home for the summer. Last year, Jaheim McLorrain arrived at her home in Darien to spend a few weeks with Karen, her husband and their three children.
The Fresh Air Fund is an independent, nonprofit agency that provides free summer vacations to New York City children from low-income communities. Each summer, over 4,000 children visit volunteer host families in communities in thirteen states and in Canada. The foundation has helped more than 1.7 million children since 1877.
In the two weeks that Jaheim was in Darien, he had the chance to take full advantage of the ‘fresh air’ he was looking for. The Brennans took him to the beach, to tennis lessons, biking and roller-skating, and even taught him how to swim.
Karen says that her experience with The Fresh Air Fund program has been great not only for Jaheim, but for her family as well.
The Brennans also formed a lasting bond with Jaheim and will be hosting him again this summer. They encourage other families in the area to get involved with the program. “I’d like to see us quadruple the number of kids that we take in Darien,” says Karen.
Lucy, Michael and Ellie Brennan, Jaheim, Karen and Teddy Brennan