On a Bus From New York, Fresh Air Kids Arrive For a New England Summer

Written by Patch Local Editor Mary MacDonald

The four-hour bus ride from New York ended at Plains Park in Milford, where a load of excited kids piled off, ready to meet their host families with the Fresh Air Fund.

Once united, the children spent some time on the fields and play areas of Plains Park, getting to know the families who would host them for the next two to three weeks.

The Fresh Air Fund, begun in 1887, brings several thousand children from the five boroughs of New York to 13 states each summer, including all of New England. The children are paired with host families in small towns or rural areas, including Milford, Upton, Grafton and Holliston.

In all, more than 4,000 children will spend a part of their summer with the host families. The children pay nothing, the host families are not paid. The idea is to have people open their homes to a child who otherwise would spend the entire summer in the city.

Another group of children will arrive in early August, according to coordinator Daniele Sarkisian, of Milford, who has hosted children through the program for several years.

One of the children who arrived in Milford on Thursday was Odessa, a 9-year-old from the Bronx. She will be staying with the Oetsen family of Grafton for the next two weeks.

She's been outside New York before, she said, to Maryland, but has never been to Massachusetts before. She already had something on the top of her to-do list.

"I know what I want to do: go to a pool."

Krista Oetsen, who grew up in Vermont, remembers other families in her town participating in the program. It was something she always thought about doing.

Her daughters, Alina, 8, and Anneliese, 9, were excited about the idea of another child coming to stay for a few weeks.

Odessa was outgoing from the start, running around with the other girls. Oetsen said she thought things would go well. "I think we're approachable and can make a child feel comfortable, " she said.