Inner-city kids pair with LI host families

Within moments of arriving at his host family's Bayville home, Tamel Welch, 13, was outside playing soccer with his neighborhood friends.

The Staten Island boy has been spending summer vacations with Eileen and James Carroll's family through the Fresh Air Fund since he was 7 years old. The fund, founded in 1877, pairs inner-city children from low-income neighborhoods with volunteer host families in rural areas and suburbs.

Tamel was one of 26 New York City children to arrive on Long Island Tuesday for a week or more of outdoor fun.

In Bayville "everybody's nice," Tamel said. "I love it here."

On his first trip to Bayville in 2005, Tamel made instant friends with Sean Carroll, 13, and Patrick Carroll, 15, as well as with the rest of the area children, said Eileen Carroll, 48.

"Everyone's been asking, 'When's Tamel coming?' " said Carroll, a teacher in the Northport school district. "The neighborhood was waiting for him."

After playing soccer Tuesday night, the Carroll family sat down for spaghetti and meatballs, their traditional first dinner with Tamel.

Each year Tamel looks forward to a week of fishing, tubing, swimming and playing sports with the Carroll family, he said.

"It's a home away from home," said his mother, April Toscano, 34. "It's just a place for him to get away from where he lives and do things that he can't do in New York."

Tamel learned to swim and ride a bike at the Carroll home, he said.

"We're fortunate enough to live in a beautiful area, and we wanted to share it," Carroll said.

Fresh Air Fund children experience many firsts with their host families, executive director Jenny Morgenthau said. "The most striking thing is seeing the stars at night," she said.

Host families often get just as much out of the experience as the children, she said.

"When he [Tamel] leaves, I can see they've changed a little bit. . . . They're nicer to each other, better at sharing and not taking things for granted," Carroll said.

Holly Faivre, 32, of Wantagh, is hosting her first child this summer. Faivre's 3-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son made colorful signs to welcome the 6-year-old girl who arrived from Brooklyn on Tuesday.

"It's a valuable lesson for our kids to understand that not everybody has the beach and a pool," Faivre said.

Host families volunteer their time and money to feed and take care of the children. The program is funded by donations, which cover medical expenses and transportation to the host families' homes, Morgenthau said.

More than 70 Long Island families are hosting children this summer, she said, but the fund is still seeking more families. For more information, visit freshair.org or call 800-367-0003.