Fresh Air Fund Honors Participants At Tavern On The Green
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Mariah Carey hosted this year's Fresh Air Fund, Salute to American Heroes at Tavern on the Green in Central Park earlier this week.
"I support the Fresh Air Fund because I think it's one of the most important organizations, especially here in New York," she said. "To take kids, a lot of whom have never left their own city block and to make sure they get a chance to see the world outside of where they're confined. A lot of them can go off to learn, like my camp is a career-awareness camp, so I bring a lot of different people who have succeeded in different fields, who the kids can relate to, and they learn about different options they have."
Donald Newhouse, co-owner of Advance Publications, has remained friends with his "Fresh Air Fund" child.
"It feels wonderful. It's a great organization. A great service they perform," said Newhouse, who was honored with his wife, Susan. "We love it and to be associated with it is an honor."
Jenny Morgenthau is the executive director of the Fresh Air Fund.
"The Fresh Air Fund sends New York City children away in the summertime to have special experiences out of the city, and we serve about 8,000 children, either in individual, voluntary host families or one of our five camps," explained Morgenthau. "Tonight we are honoring several people and it helps bring attention to the media so to help us raise money and to attract host families."
Also honored along with the Newhouses were actor Michelle Williams and former Giants defensive lineman Michael Strahan.
"I think it's phenomenal," said Strahan. "What they do for kids and getting them out of the city, showing them an entirely different environment, the fresh air, the greenery. It's amazing what they do and it really helps the kids get a different perspective on life."
Mariah Carey's husband, Nick Cannon, said he was pleased to learn that there was a Fresh Air Fund camp named after Mariah.
"We went up there, took a visit, saw Camp Mariah," Cannon said. "So we are going to try to go up this summer. It's a beautiful thing."
The Fresh Air Fund was founded in 1877. It is one of New York City's oldest charities.