The moment you soar without training wheels, the feeling of jumping off a diving board, the thrill of riding your first roller coaster, the excitement of summer vacation. These were the summer time activities that welcomed the Martini family to The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host family Program.

The Fresh Air Fund is an independent, not-for-profit agency that has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Each summer, over 4,000 children visit volunteer host families in rural, suburban and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.

It was because of a friend that Chris Martini and her husband Christopher first learned about The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program.

“We talked it over as a family and decided that it was something that we wanted to try,” she said. With two fun filled seasons behind them, they look forward to welcoming back Queens native Kevin to spend a third summer with them.

 “They’re the best three buddies,” Martini said of her two children, Zachary and Chad, and Kevin, who all get along as if he was always meant to be there. “He’s an easy kid, and is happy to do whatever the kids are doing; riding bikes, playing sports, lazy pajama day with board games. But he really loves being outside.”

Kevin visits the family throughout the year, and when the family travels, Kevin goes along too. Their latest road trip was to UNC Chapel Hill to watch the family’s favorite sport, basketball. It was on this trip that Zachary and Kevin decided that one day they would not only attend the university together, but also be roommates. While they have many years before it’s time to start thinking about colleges, for now the three will spend their time playing outside and enjoying the summer sun.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.7 million New York City children since 1877. For more information on how you can become a Fresh Air Fund host, call Jolie Verdun at (973)-762-1702 or visit The Fresh Air Fund online.