FRESH AIR FUND AND LUTHERAN FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS PARTNER FOR SPRING KICK OFF
Friday, April 16, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRESH AIR FUND AND LUTHERAN FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS PARTNER FOR SPRING KICK OFF
Event attended by BP Markowitz and Congresswoman Velazquez
April 16, 2010, Brooklyn, NY…On April 1, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez attended Fresh Air Fund's spring open house. The event, hosted by Lutheran Family Health Centers, kicked off efforts aimed at giving more children in Sunset Park, especially those of new immigrant groups, enriching Fresh Air experiences, free of charge. Families were given the opportunity to register their children for Fresh Air programs at the event.
LFCH executive director, Larry K. McReynolds, and Fresh Air Fund's Executive Director Jenny Morgenthau both spoke at the event, which was attended by local families. The two organizations have built a successful partnership together over the last four years giving children of the Family Support Center opportunities to take part in day trips outside of the city and visit Fresh Air Fund camps.
The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million children since 1877. In 2009, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. 3,000 children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund's year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.
LFHC's Family Support Center is designed to serve as a "one-stop shopping" hub for family strengthening services in southwest Brooklyn. The services offered at the Family Support Center include Family Support Services (case management services, psychoeducational workshops, linkage to community resources and advocacy), Adult and Family Education (ESOL, basic education, family literacy, GED preparation and computer classes), WIC (nutrition education and food supplements provided for pregnant and postpartum women and children under age 5), Reach out and Read (early childhood literacy programming and volunteer opportunities), Healthy Connections (Individual, group, and family counseling for individuals and families affected by trauma, grief and loss), AmeriCorps/VISTA (community involvement and leadership development) and several others.
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