East Northport Resident Gives Fresh Air Child Constructive Summers Working at Camp Alvernia

Fifteen years ago, Patricia MacMenamie of East Northport, NY, decided she wanted to be a Fresh Air host. At the time, she lived in her sister’s home with an empty room to fill for the summer, and the sisters were eager to fill it. When TJ came into the picture at age nine through The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family Program, it was clear how well he meshed with the MacMenamies. The now 16-year-old TJ of New York, NY, became a part of the family while also establishing strong connections in the East Northport community.

The Fresh Air Fund is an independent, not-for-profit agency that has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Each summer, over 4,000 children visit volunteer host families in rural, suburban and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.

“We’ve absolutely become friends,” said Patricia fondly of her relationship with TJ. “We’re from two different worlds but we can sit and talk of hours. He asks so many questions, he’s like a sponge just trying to soak up as much knowledge as he can!” Clearly, the switch from New York City to the rural area of East Northport for the summer would bring forth many questions about the unfamiliar environment and different family routine. According to Patricia, TJ took those changes in stride, politely asking about or adjusting to a situation he didn’t quite understand. The most outstanding difference, in TJ’s opinion, between New York City and his new suburbian summer home was the overall feeling he got when he first arrived. “This town is just way more peaceful than my town,” TJ said.

Together, the MacMenamies and TJ engage in “simple, everyday things” like going to the movies, attending the local fair, swimming, and playing in the yard.  TJ’s favorite thing to do is relax with the family after a long day at Camp Alvernia, a local day-camp where he was recently promoted to a full-time counselor after two years of attending and one year of training. Through his participation at Camp Alvernia and the close-knit feel of his summer neighborhood, his ties to the East Northport community continue to grow.

The Fresh Air Fund has provided TJ with a constructive outlet during the summer months and for that, TJ is grateful. “This experience has helped me grow a lot as a person. The new people you get to meet and the new things you get to do and try are basically endless,” said TJ. Patricia agrees and happily explains why other families should give the program a try. “Everyone should go for it. It’s such a nice thing,” Patricia said. “It’s great for the kids and great for us. We take so much for granted and this experience humbles you and teaches you at the same time. Always pay it forward.”

The Fresh Air Fund is always seeking host families to enable as many New York City children as possible to benefit from a summer experience outside of the city. To learn more about how to become a host family in East Northport, please contact Jacqueline Shapiro, the volunteer leader for the Western Suffolk County area, at 516-692-8662 or visit The Fresh Air Fund online at www.freshair.org.