DoT seeks families for city kids’ vacation

(CNS): For the fifth summer in a row, the Department of Tourism, Cayman Airways and Fresh Air Fund have come together to give a small group of kids aged between eight and twelve years from New York a week-long holiday in the Cayman Islands. The Fresh Air Fund programme depends however, on the support of local hosts that can welcome the children, often from underprivileged backgrounds into their homes. The DoT is appealing to Cayman families to host one or more Fresh Air Fund child during this year’s summer vacation and where they can experience true Caymanian hospitality. This year, the children will be visiting between 25-31 July and will have a packed agenda visiting the local sights which means there shouldn’t be any extra demands on families hosting the kids.

However, the charity encourages families to involve fresh air kids into their regular family activities and practices, including games night, dinner time, story-telling and the Caymanian tradition of Sunday dinner among others.

To qualify families will be required to undergo a home visit and screening interview with representatives from DoT, the host home must be safe and clean with places to play indoors and out and be a positive environment for kids. The Fresh Air Fund child must have a dedicated bed to him or her during the stay as the kids are not allowed to share the bed with other members of the household.

Each member residing within the household over the age of 18 will have to obtain a Police Clearance as a security measure to ensure that the child will be in a safe environment and the host family must be able to provide three character references from upstanding members of the community verifying that they should be considered for this opportunity.

To learn more about becoming a host family do to the DoT website