Jonathan (Jay), a Fresh Air Fund visitor in Hamlin for the past two summers, with Jimmy Porteus. They're showing off their tattoo. Submitted photo.

"If we can share what we have with these children, we should. I wish more families would do this."

This summer, as they have for the past two summers, Beth and David Porteus of Hamlin will open their home and their hearts to a nine-year-old boy from New York City, as host families with the Fresh Air Fund. For the last week in July and the first week in August, Jonathan, or "Jay" as the family affectionately calls him, will live with and vacation with the Porteus Family. With three teenage daughters and a ten-year-old son, Jimmy, they, like most families today, are constantly on the go, and they find that Jay fits easily into their routine.

When asked how hard it was to take a child she'd never met before into her home, Beth insists that the first year was the toughest. "It's a year of testing boundaries and getting used to one another. If you (the host family) go into this experience with grandiose expectations, you're going to be disappointed. These are regular kids and they are going to do things that regular kids do, such as try to see what they can get away with. We set firm ground rules with Jay his very first year here and that set the pace for the subsequent years which were much smoother."

As has been happening since 1877, Jay and thousands of other inner-city children, ages five to 18, will leave New York City by bus and travel to "friendly towns" in thirteen states from Virginia to Maine and up to Canada. The Fresh Air Fund, an independent not-for-profit organization, was created with one simple mission -- to allow children living in disadvantaged communities to get away from hot, noisy city streets and enjoy free summer vacations in the country.

Today, over 10,000 New York City children will enjoy this experience.

At home, in New York City, Jay lives with his mother, grandmother and an older sister in an apartment near Central Park. His first summer in Hamlin was his first trip away from New York City, and it was one of discovery and delight. He was amused to see cows grazing in nearby pastures. Backyards that held swimming pools and private driveways right next to the house surprised him. One of the things he likes best about being in Hamlin is being able to open the back door and go out and play whenever he wants. This is a freedom that isn't feasible in the city.

The Porteus are a camping family and Jay goes right along, enjoying the fishing most of all.

Jay has an August birthday and Beth and David throw him a birthday party complete with the extended family and neighborhood kids. Although they are careful not to inundate him with too many gifts, Beth admits that she enjoys buying him things she knows he might not otherwise have.

Once Jay leaves, the family stays in contact with him on a regular basis through phone calls and letters. The one question Jay always asks is if he's going to come back again the following summer. Beth points out they are careful to never promise him he can come until she knows absolutely for sure that it is going to happen. "There's always the chance that our circumstances, or his, might change and I don't ever want to break a promise to him. We enjoy Jay very much and our plan is to have him for many summers to come, but we are also realistic enough to know that there may come a time when he may not want to come anymore."

As much as they enjoy giving Jay the experience of a country vacation every summer, the family also hopes that he is absorbing and learning some valuable lessons while he's with them. "We may never know the impact we have on his life but so many times it's that one person or that one experience that changes everything for you. I can only hope that what he learns from his time with us will carry through as he grows up."

Note: The Fresh Air Fund is always in need of host families. For more information or to discuss becoming a host family contact www.freshair.org or call 1-800-367-0003.