The Fresh Air Fund, which sends inner-city children to the country for the summer, recently raised $1 million at its annual gala at Chelsea Piers. NY1's George Whipple filed the following report.

The Fresh Air Fund that was founded in 1877 recently held its annual gala at Chelsea Piers. The fund brings inner-city youth to the country for the summer.

The Olsen twins were blinded by paparazzi as they arrived and were also hailed as American heroes. New York Giant Victor Cruz was singled out and recollected his time in the country as a kid.

"Swimming definitely did a lot to bring our family and friends together as well as get a bit of a workout as well," he said.

New York Ranger Carl Hagelin also thinks that summers in the country helped him on the ice.

"You know, as a kid I went to...well my Mom's side, both of her brothers were farmers, so I went to see them a bit in the summer," he said. "You get to see the hard life of waking up at 4 or 5 a.m. in the morning and do everything it takes and then you tire around 7 p.m. and go to bed. So I think that the work ethic that that brought was a key aspect for me."

Jenny Morgenthau is the executive director of The Fresh Air Fund.

"The Fresh Air Fund was founded in 1877 by a minister who had worked on the Lower East Side," she said. "It was a newly industrializing city and there was a lot of tuberculosis...they literally meant, 'Get out to fresh air' and get away from the dangers of city life."

Morgenthau said that the fund sends about 9,000 kids to the country over the summer. About 7,000 of them go in the summer and the remaining students go in their year-end program.,

$1 million was raised at the fundraiser for The Fresh Air Fund.