The Children's Fresh Air Home Mission Statement
The Children’s Fresh Air Home is a faith based non-profit organization providing an enriching summer experience at the Jersey Shore in a safe, positive environment for children who may be living with family or community adversities.
Information and Program criteria
While the Home awaits major renovations, the Board of Trustees is utilizing the summer operating budget to sponsor children, who qualify for a stay at the Fresh Air Home, for a week stay at Camp Haluwasa, a Christian Camp located in Hammonton, NJ.
•The Fresh Air Home receives recommendations of children who qualify for our program from schools, churches and other agencies.
• The child is selected by a Community Agency or school working with CFAH and be invited by the referring agency to apply (Applications will ONLY be accepted by referral from predetermined agencies.)
• There is no cost to the families who qualify and are accepted to send their children to the camp through the Children’s Fresh Air Home program.
• To qualify for the Fresh Air Home program, a child must be in need due to family financial burdens or other family hardships.
• The child is between seven and eleven years of age
• The child is from an economically disadvantaged family
• The child lives with adversity in their home or community ( This may mean that families may be working through issues in relation to single parenting, divorce, parental neglect, abuse, living in rough neighborhoods, unexpected death, incarceration or other similarly difficult situations.)
• The child must NOT be related to referral agency employees
• The child is able to fully participate in all aspects of the camp program (physically, emotionally and behaviorally)
• Our goal is to etch upon the soul of each child a life memory that is so powerful and positive that their experience at the Home will become a guiding principle for the way they live their lives For many, their time with us allows them to glimpse a future they never dreamed possible.
Please email us for more information on current referral agencies.
After the renovations are completed the Home in North Wildwood will reopen and the program will resume with the criteria above, as it has for many years. Below you will find answers to some of the most common questions about our home when it is in operation...
1. How long do children stay at the Home?
2. How many children stay at the Home at one time?
3. What is the building like?
4. What is the program like while the kids are at the Home?
5. How many staff are there in the Home?
6. Is the Fresh Air Home associated with any other organization?
7. Who oversees the Fresh Air Home?
8. How much does it cost to run the Home for a season?
9. How does the Fresh Air Home raise funds for summer expenses?
10. What kind of medical care does the Home provide for the children?
11. How are children supervised on the beach?
12. What are the sleeping arrangements for children?
13. Is the Fresh Air Home approved by the State of New Jersey?
1. Children stay for 12 days and 11 nights. They depart for the Home on a Monday morning, stay through the weekend, and return on the following Friday.
2. There are approximately 45 children in each group. During the summer there will be two groups of girls and two groups of boys who stay at the Home. Altogether we host between 160 and 180 children each season.
3. The Fresh Air Home is located two blocks from the beach in North Wildwood, NJ. The Home has four floors, 32 rooms, 60 beds and 72 windows. There are 18 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, a playroom, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, infirmary, parlor and office. The front of the Home has a wonderful wrap-around porch and a beautiful garden. Behind the Home is a playground complete with swings and seesaws.
4. The 12 day program for children is not like any other summer camp experience because of its unique "Christian Home" environment. We strive to integrate lessons of responsibility and manners with times of play and fun while teaching about issues of faith on a daily basis. A typical day begins at 7 am when the children wake and gather for morning devotions. After breakfast and the raising of the flag the children perform household tasks such as making their beds, assisting with laundry, gardening, or setting dining tables under the supervision of the counselors. The rest of the morning involves games, craft projects, or a special outing. Typical outings each group experiences are miniature golf, amusement rides, water park rides, a tour of the police station, a visit to a local pizza parlor, and a trip to the county zoo along with several walks on the boardwalk. After the noon meal, the children change into their swim suits and spend the afternoon at the beach. The day ends with showers, an evening meal, playground time, singing, and night devotions.
5. The staff of the Home is composed of the Superintendent, two Activities Directors, seven Counselors, a Medical Director/Lifeguard, a Chef, two Chef's Assistants, a Housekeeper, a Groundskeeper, and a person in charge of laundry. We have ratio of 4:1 children per staff member at all times on outings and within the Home. Activity Directors are college students. Counselors are college students and older high school students. All staff are recommended to the Home by trusted individuals who are associated with our organization. Additional recommendations are secured for each staff member. Our Medical Director is trained in Emergency Response First aid for Professionals as required by the State of New Jersey. Most staff serve on a volunteer basis. They give a significant portion of their summer because of their love for the children and desire to make a difference in the lives of these deserving boys and girls.
6. The fresh Air Home is a separately incorporated institution. The Home receives financial contributions, volunteer services, and other forms of support from various churches, civic organizations, businesses and individuals.
7. A Board of Trustees serves as the property owner and oversees the program in all of its various capacities. The Superintendent is an employee of the Board of Trustees and is charged with the oversight of activities and staff at the Home throughout the summer.
8. Summer operating expenses are typically around $50,000. We are able to run the summer program on such a small budget due to the generous vendors throughout the Wildwoods and other communities in Southern NJ that donate their goods and services.
9. The Home is completely dependent on the generous contributions of churches, civic organizations, businesses and individuals. Each Spring we send out a fund raising brochure to those who have contributed to the Home in past years. We have been very grateful for the individuals who have named the Fresh Air Home as benefactors in their wills.
10. The Fresh Air Home has excellent medical resources. On staff we have a Medical Director who is trained in Emergency Response First Aid for Professionals. Counselors are instructed in basic first aid skills. Our doctor is located three blocks from our Home and offers us free medical care for all of our children. The Police Department is two blocks away, the Fire Department five blocks away, the ambulance service eight blocks away, and the local hospital is the ten minutes away. On the beach, the North Wildwood Beach Patrol has an excellent system of medical care utilizing mobile EMT's located 3 blocks from our beach location if emergency situations arise.
11. The children are very closely supervised on the beach. Upon arrival to the beach, the group locates directly behind the lifeguard stand. Children are expected to remain in this area for beach play. Four staff members oversee play on the beach. Two counselors are placed approximately 30 feet apart in knee deep water directly in front of the lifeguards who are on duty. Children are not allowed to go out beyond the water counselors or to either side of them while playing in the water. Two additional counselors join the two counselors on water duty and supervise the movement of children from the circle to the water. The two Activity Directors oversee the entire beach setting making sure everyone is performing their responsibilities satisfactorily. Buddy checks are initiated on a regular basis.
12. Each child has their own single bed with pillow, sheet, blanket, quilt, bed spread, and stuffed animal. Six rooms have three or four beds, one room has seven beds and one room has thirteen beds. Staff sleep in separate rooms which are adjacent to the children's rooms on each floor. Children are assigned to rooms upon arrival. We attempt to have siblings and cousins sleep in the same room whenever possible.
13. The Fresh Air Home is a state-certified camp. Local fire authorities, county health inspectors, and state officials visit the Home and review our program, staff, and materials before each season.