Tybee Fresh Air Home for Children institution celebrating 125th anniversary

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) - A Tybee institution that’s been there for over a century, celebrated its 125th anniversary Sunday afternoon.

The Tybee Fresh Air Home for Children is a summer camp for at risk children.

They first opened their doors in 1897 and the building they’re in now, at 900 Butler Avenue, has been there since 1900.

When kids are at the camp, they bunk with other campers, have the opportunity to go to the beach, play basketball, play on playgrounds, and even go to places like the Tybee Light Station Museum and the Marine Science Center.

The camp Cehas stayed funded by endowments and grants, and today, they celebrated everyone that helps keep the camp open- and those the camp is there to serve.

”It’s the hard working women. We’re a working board of 15 members, and we do the manual labor. We’re out their doing gardening, we’re painting, changing toilet seats, fundraising. These women work so hard to ensure the camp can run,” Caroline Hayes said.

“We think in our mind that we’re doing it for the children, but it’s also wonderful for the families. We had a child last year, that the mother had cancer, and so the child was able to come to camp. She actually came all four sessions, which is rare. And the mother was like, ‘Thank you so much. It’s allowing her to be a normal kid, and not worry about me,’” Becky West said.

There are four camps this summer, with the first one starting on June 5. If you’re interested in learning more about the camp click here.

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