This summer marks the third consecutive year that Kathleen and William Woodworth of Massapequa will host Emmanuel Peguero, a nine-year-old boy from Queens County through The Fresh Air Fund's Friendly Town Program.

Emmanuel spends a part of his summer with the Woodworth family, allowing him to get a taste of life outside New York City.

This summer alone, Emmanuel and the Woodworths have, among other activities, gone to the beach, flown kites, and played mini-golf. The Woodworths are also teaching Emmanuel to ride a bicycle.

"Just watching him play and seeing the joy and freedom in his expression is wonderful," said Kathleen. "Back home, he can't go to the playground because it's too crowded."

Both Emmanuel and the Woodworth family benefit from spending their summers together. "It's good for my kids to open up our home and learn to feel good about sharing their toys with someone else," said Kathleen. "I wish more people would host. I encourage anyone to try it."

The Fund is always seeking host families to enable as many New York City children as possible to benefit from a summer vacation outside the city. This year, volunteer host families residing in over 300 towns, from Virginia to Maine to Canada, opened their homes to New York City children from low-income neighborhoods each summer through the The Fresh Air Fund's Friendly Town Program.

For the past 125 years, more than 1.7 million New York City children have been provided free summer vacations from the Fresh Air Fund. The program itself began in 1877, when the Reverend William Parsons, minister of a small rural parish in Sherman, PA, asked members of his congregation to provide country vacations as volunteer host families for children from New York City tenements. Within a decade, Reverend Parsons was writing about The Fund for The New York Herald Tribune, and the number of children served began to grow.

Currently, up to 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund Programs annually. To volunteer, call the Fund at 800-367-0003.