Sky Island was a refugee vacation hostel run by the American Friends Service Committee in cooperation with the American Christian Committee for Refugees from about 1938 until at least 1947. After two years in Aberdeen, New York, Sky Island moved to a large home in Nyack lent to the program by its owner, Viola Wertheim Bernard. Operating solely during the summer months, Sky Island accomodated a group of 30-40 refugees and provided a respite from the summer heat for those refugees who otherwise could not have afforded the expense of a vacation. The program relied on a mostly volunteer staff of 8-10 to direct, teach English, and provide an American atmosphere. Flora E. Pottenger was a teacher from Warsaw, Indiana, who worked at Sky Island during the summer of 1946.
From the description of Sky Island Papers, 1945-1947 (Swarthmore College). WorldCat record id: 475015358
