The Fresh Air Fund -- A Kid-Focused Charity if You're Looking

If you're looking for some end of year, tax-deductible charities to donate to and you like kids, you might like The Fresh Air Fund. I came across it earlier this morning and was moved enough to share. Their programs are targeted to kids ages 6 to 18 living in NYC's low income communities whose families lack the resources to get them out of the city to experience the great outdoors.  You can be a host family and have one of these kids stay with you for week or two, or you can take the easier route and donate a little dough. I pulled this from their website:

• Just $10 will send one child on a bus ride to his or her Friendly Town host family.
• $24 provides a child with a week of swimming lessons.
• $42 provides a day of Career Awareness classes.
• A gift of $50 can fund a camp counselor for a day.
• If you can give as much as $91, you provide a child at camp with meals for a week.

I wonder if Baltimore City has something like this? I know we've got lots of kids who probably never get to escape the concrete jungle either. Can you imagine never running around in the grass and dirt beneath a canopy of trees??? Unfathomable...I grew up in a home with a small back yard and no front yard (just a sidewalk), but we spent our summers at a day camp in the mountains where we learned archery, canoeing, arts and crafts, and how to dodge poison ivy and black snakes.  The camp was through the YMCA, and we met the lack of income criteria to attend for free.  We were also lucky to have a mom who knew about this program and made sure we were registered every semester and at the Y on time every morning to catch the bus.   

I think it would be really fun to host a kid...I pulled this video from their website that has me all inspired and motivated:

Unfortunately, since I currently live in a concrete jungle myself, I'm not sure the scenery would be much different....I suppose we could take day trips, right?