Giving Tuesday

Dear Friends,

As the holiday season approaches, our volunteer board has been reflecting on how far we have come — and how grateful we are for you. For more than a century, the Children’s Fresh Air Home (CFAH) has been a place where children living with hardship could find respite, joy, and hope. That legacy has always been fueled by generosity from you, from churches, local businesses, and volunteers who provided food, activities, medical care, and the financial support to keep our mission alive even when we had to close the home for massive renovations.

Thanks to your ongoing support, we have completed one of the most ambitious undertakings in our history: the full renovation of our 100-year-old Home. Instead of tearing down this historic building, we chose to preserve its exterior while completely rebuilding the interior. This approach honors both the spirit of our mission and the physical history of the Home, ensuring its strength for another century of service.

Over the past several years, we have:

• Rebuilt the foundation to current FEMA standards and secured the structure for long-term stability.
• Installed a full-capacity nursing station and commercial-grade kitchen.
• Restructured the interior with an elevator and bathrooms to ensure ADA compliance.
• Completed a total restoration of the exterior, including windows, doors, porches, roof, siding, and soffits.

Today, the interior is complete and we are working on furnishing the home to welcome the next generation of kids for a much needed summer respite. Every wall, floor, utility, and fixture is brand new. With central heating and air conditioning, the home will now be a multi-seasonal retreat, with the capacity to serve children and partner groups year-round. And most importantly, in Summer 2026, CFAH will once again welcome overnight campers ages 7–13 for week-long stays filled with fun, learning, and healing.

Even during construction, our mission never paused. This past summer, we once again hosted several If Just For a Day programs, giving over 200 children the chance to enjoy the beach, create friendships, and experience the joy of the Jersey Shore. These moments remind us why the Children’s Fresh Air Home matters — it provides far more than a break from hardship. It gives children the opportunity to build relationships, develop life skills, and discover new possibilities.

When we reopen our doors, the Children’s Fresh Air Home will offer an inclusive, faith-based summer experience that nurtures the whole child. Our program will honor our roots as a faith based and welcoming camp that is guided by five core pillars:

• Art and Creative Expression – fostering imagination, self-expression, and fine motor skills and confidence through visual and performing arts.
• Spirituality and Inner Growth – providing time for reflection, exploring values such as kindness,goodness, friendship and patience through faith-based learning that fosters resilience, hope and moral grounding in an inclusive way.Music and Rhythm – building joy, coordination and teamwork, and cultural appreciation through shared musical experiences.
• Marine, Beach, and Coastal Science – sparking curiosity about nature and promoting environmental stewardship by connecting children to the wonders of the Jersey Shore.
• Physical Fitness and Play – promoting health, teamwork, and positive energy through active recreation.

Together, these pillars will ensure that every child who visits the Children’s Fresh Air Home experiences not just fun in the sun, but the chance to grow spiritually, emotionally, and socially in a safe and nurturing environment.

As an all-volunteer board, we have committed ourselves to this challenging journey because we believe every child deserves a safe, positive, and nurturing place to grow. But we cannot do it alone. We have reached a critical juncture in our history and our future. We are now furnishing the home, recruiting staff and volunteers, and reviving our partnerships with the community. Your support this fall will help us cross the finish line and prepare the home to welcome overnight campers in the summer of 2026.

We invite you to join us with a gift of gratitude this holiday season. Your generosity will ensure that children who face adversity at home or in their community can look forward to a summer of hope, joy, and belonging.
All of our best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season.

With deepest thanks,
John Stefankiewicz
Board Chair, Children’s Fresh Air Home