Honk!

More than 100 people turned their heads to watch two blue coach buses turn into the parking lot of Groffdale Mennonite Church in Leola.

Smiles spread across their faces. They were about to see their Fresh Air children.

Every year, the Fresh Air Fund, a New York-based not-for-profit agency, recruits families in 13 states nationwide and Canada to host inner-city children, typically for two weeks or longer.

This summer's first group of 62 children arrived Tuesday night and will stay until July 15.

The program began in 1877 as a way to help New York City children escape the tuberculosis epidemic, for which "fresh air" was thought to be a cure. It now focuses on offering children a new perspective and, sometimes, a second family.

David and Michele Beyer of Quarryville said this is their third summer hosting a Fresh Air child and their second hosting 9-year-old Blake Nozile of Jamaica, N.Y.


      Fresh Air kids arrive


Michele said her children — 11-year-old Leanne, 9-year-old AJ and 5-year-old Sidney — quickly adopted Blake into their family. They were excited and "love having them," she said of the two previous summers.

Michele, a full-time homemaker, often takes the children camping, swimming or to Lapp Valley Farms in New Holland.

She said she enjoys watching Blake learn about life outside the city he calls home.

"He thought the brown cows were water buffalo," she said. "He thought we had a park in our backyard."

The host families often learn as much from the Fresh Air children as the Fresh Air children do from them, said Joyce Hurst of Denver, who's been hosting a child for six years.

Hurst said she and her children were surprised by 11-year-old Meah Farlow's lifestyle.

Meah moves often, sometimes more than once in a year. The Hursts stay planted in Lancaster County.

When Meah stayed with them for the first time she was amazed at the sight of fireflies, and she asked if she could pack worms in her suitcase when she returned to New York, Hurst said.Today, Meah and the other Fresh Air children were welcomed at Kreider Dairy Farm in Manheim.

The farm's owners invited them to take a free two-hour tour this morning.

The Fresh Air children and their host families were scheduled to watch some of the farm's 1,400 cows ride on the county's largest milking carousel. They also were treated to the first tasting of Kreider's new ice cream flavor, "Cow Palace."

"These kids are going to experience something they weren't anticipating," said Dave Andrews, the farm's vice president of sales and marketing, "and that makes it a more enjoyable experience for them and for us."

Barbara Horst, the local Fresh Air Fund coordinator, said that's the beauty of the organization. It affords children the opportunity to see country life in person, rather than on television.

"When they get on the bus, it's like going away," she said. "They're not too sure if they're happy or sad, but they adapt."

Horst said the Fresh Air Fund will send three more groups of children to Lancaster County this summer. The second set will arrive July 15 and stay until July 29. The third set will stay July 29 to Aug. 7 and the fourth Aug. 11 to Aug. 22.

Horst said about 220 families have signed up to host children, but the organization is still looking for more.

Interested families can call Horst at 859-1994. They must be willing to have a Fresh Air Fund representative visit their home and submit four references and information for a background check.

Aside from that, she said, "The only qualification is they have to love children. That's all we expect."


Staff writer Liz Navratil can be reached at lnavratil@LNPnews.com or 481-6014.