Fresh Air Home to Honor Navy Seal Hero

NORTH WILDWOOD – On March 27, the Children’s Fresh Air Home (CFAH) of North Wildwood, will honor the memory of Navy Seal Eric F. Shellenberger who died serving his country in 2009 at the Annual CFAH Fundraising Dinner. Recently, Eric’s family generously donated his treasured Harley Davidson motorcycle to CFAH. The bike – which will be on display at the dinner – will be raffled off of over the next several months to support CFAH’s Century Campaign. In addition, CFAH will recognize his parents at the dinner by announcing that the new foundation of the home, which will break ground later this spring, will be dedicated to Eric’s memory.
According to Vince Hubach, VP of the CFAH Board, “We saw the opportunity for two great causes to come together. Eric’s parent’s donation of his treasured hog for the benefit of the rebuilding of The Children’s Fresh Air Home is a honored gesture that we are humbled to receive. Eric’s life was the pinnacle of strength and fortitude and what better way to honor him than dedicate the very cement foundation of the home – the very foundation that will carry the home into its next 100 years of making a difference in the lives of so many deserving children.”
Nearly a century of wear and tear in a seashore environment has taken its toll on the physical structure of the Home, CFAH’s most fundamental resource. After years of service, costly but urgent renovations are necessary. Enter the Century Campaign- a critical effort needed to fund the major capital improvements required to ensure the organization’s service to future generations. Some progress has been made, but so much more needs to be done particularly over the next 12 to 18 months as the goal is to complete the extensive renovation by the end of 2015. CFAH needs to raise an additional $1.2 million to complete the effort and this can only happen with significant support from the local community, government, and businesses.
CFAH gives kids something so many of us take for granted – a day (or week) at the beach. The home offers a unique seashore retreat for deserving children in need and provides them with a positive experience and educational programming that builds self-esteem and plants seeds of hope for children that have difficult and challenging lives.