— Maggie Gordon

ALTAMONT — When Jan Van Etten began participating in the Fresh Air Fund 46 years ago, she was one of 40 local families volunteering to take in a disadvantaged child from the city, and bring him to the country for two weeks. This year, there are only nine local families participating.

The program, which was created in 1877, was designed to introduce underprivleged children from urban areas to a different kind of life. Through the years, the program has introduced 1.7 million children to fresh air, teaching children that there is more to life than city streets and sirens.

While the original goal was to enrich the lives of the inner-city children who came to the country, the program has also touched the lives of those who host the children.
"The things you learn the most are the things you take for granted here — the grass, the flowers — the things these kids don’t get," Mary Reinemann, a local host, said. "The program is important for the kids, because it’s like you’re in another world but you’re not that far away."

This summer will be Reinemann’s third as a Fresh Air host, and she will be taking in Beshon Austin, a 10-year-old boy from the Bronx, for his second summer in Altamont.
"He’s like family," Reinemann said. "In December, my son and I went down to visit him in New York City." Beshon took that opportunity to let them see his world, as they had let him be a part of theirs.

Last summer, Beshon and Reinemann’s son, Tyler, who is also 10, went swimming daily. The boys also went for country walks, and fishing with Reinemann’s husband.
Reinemann said she learned to keep the activities she planned for her visitor simple. "You don’t have to spend a lot of money," she said. "It was the simple things really...I don’t think he’d ever seen a frog."

The experience was not only enlightening for Beshon, but for Reinemann and her family as well.
"My son realized how good he has it," Reinemann said. She added that it was nice for him to have a playmate, since her daughters are grown.
This year, Beshon is eligible to come back for four weeks. "He wanted to stay all summer," Reinemann said.
"I really think it’s a wonderful opportunity and everybody should experience it," Reinemann said. "You get a good feeling, knowing you’re helping a child."

"So many stars"
Jan Van Etten is a "friendly towner," who interviews families that wish to participate in the program. Before her role as a coordinator, Van Etten began hosting Fresh Air children 46 years ago, when her husband suggested they give it a try.

Since that time, she has hosted about 20 children, before becoming the chairperson 25 years ago.
"The first child I hosted was probably the most destitute of the kids I’ve ever had," said Van Etten. "He came literally with the clothes on his back... The rest of his clothes were just something I would wipe my floor with. They were just awful."

That summer, Van Etten’s husband, who worked for a phone company, took up a collection for the child, and they used the money to buy him clothes.
Van Etten, like Reinemann, learned many things about her own life through her Fresh Air children. "I learned that I live in a mansion, and I have an upstairs and a downstairs, and I have more than one bathroom," she said.
She was also able to witness the children as they learned things. "They didn’t know there were so many stars," she said, with a hint of reminiscence in her voice.
"To see them walk on grass in their bare feet — that’s the most exciting thing. To hear them say, ‘It feels so great! Nothing is cutting me!’" Van Etten said. "To be able to go down and jump in a pond and swing on a tree and roll down a hill. That’s the neatest thing."
This year, Jan Van Etten informed Reinemann that the stop in Altamont, where she has picked up Beshon in the past, is being taken away due to a lack of families participating in the program. "They’re just cutting corners and saving money," Van Etten said.

The local pick-up this year will be at a Church on Route 443 in Delmar. The dates for the program are July 14 to 28. Those interested in participating in the Fresh Air Fund in any way, may contact Jan Van Etten at 872-1895.