WATERVILLE — For Megan Cyr, the Fresh Air Fund first popped into her life via an ad on Facebook.
“That sounds like a cool idea,” Cyr said, as she began reading about the program.
After filling out the application, going through a series of interviews and finding a match for her family, Cyr picked up her Fresh Air Fund visitor Maya on Monday. She was one of twenty kids from New York City who arrived in Waterville Monday night and were welcomed by the North Central Maine Committee of the Fresh Air Fund. The kids will spend up to two weeks experiencing summer in Maine with host families in the area.
The North Central Maine Committee has placed children with families in Norridgewock, Winslow, Rome, Brooks, Fairfield, Benton, Cornville, Wilton, Waterville, Starks, Vassalboro, Oakland and Skowhegan.
Lynne Dailey, who has participated in the program for 30 years and is now the chairperson of the central Maine committee, said the Fresh Air Fund is a rewarding experience for both the host families and the children from New York.
Dailey said the Fresh Air Fund gives kids from New York City a chance to experience Maine and all the state has to offer during the summer.
“It gives these kids an opportunity to experience all that stuff,” she said.
Many of the host families and children have participated in the program in the past, and the Fresh Air Fund is a reunion for them, Dailey said. For others, it’s a time to meet someone new.
The families of the visiting Fresh Air Fund children love the program, Dailey said, as they experience things they wouldn’t normally in the city.
The nonprofit Fresh Air Fund offers children from New York City a chance to visit places outside the city during the summer. Since 1877, the program has given more than 1.8 million low-income children the opportunity to experience something new, according to the Fresh Air Fund.
“I think what they do is wonderful,” Cyr said.
Cyr said she’s eager to take Maya around Maine. Their first outing on Tuesday will be to Old Orchard Beach. She said they plan to go camping, cook s’mores, visit Fort Knox and take in all the sights, especially Splashtown in Saco.
Maya said she’s looking forward to having fun during her time in Maine.
“We’re so excited to have her,” Cyr said.
Two more trips are planned for Fresh Air Fund children, according to Dailey, with one bus arriving July 22 and another on August 10. She said there’s still time for people to get involved with the Fresh Air Fund and host a child during one of those trips.
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