Germansville residents, Jim and Laura George, could not wait to welcome back their Fresh Air child, B.J, this summer through The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Towns Program.

The George family has hosted B.J, 13, from the Bronx, N.Y. since 2016.

B.J has gone hiking, kayaking, camping and exploring with the George family.

“Going kayaking was a great memory,” Laura said. “B.J was nervous at first but once he overcame that, he really enjoyed it.

“It was neat to witness B.J conquer a fear.”

Laura and B.J also went geocaching, an outdoor activity that uses GPS and coordinates to help families find hidden treasures.

“Geocaching makes going out and exploring nature super fun and exciting,” Laura said.

Jim and Laura described their relationship with B.J as “enlightening, open and fun.”

“The Friendly Towns program is such an easy way to provide an opportunity for NYC youth to experience new things,” Laura said. “It is honestly a great experience for everyone.”

The Fresh Air Fund is an independent, not-for-profit agency that has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877.

Each summer, thousands of children visit volunteer host families in rural, suburban and small town communities along the East Coast and Southern Canada.

More information about The Fresh Air Fund is available at freshair.org.