New York kids get a breath of fresh Caribbean air

(CNS): Ten youngsters from the Big Apple are enjoying a week in Grand Cayman thanks to an independent non-profit organisation that provides children from New York City with free summer vacations that will enable them to experience new environments and cultures. The Fresh Air Fund (FAF) kids arrived on Grand Cayman Monday 25 July and are staying with host families on the island. Before they leave on Sunday they will be visiting various tourist attractions and will be involved in various activities. The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and Cayman Airways partnered with FAF in 2007, with the goal of supporting a charity that Caymanians could have an affiliation with. 

In 2010, FAF hosted five Caymanian children between ages 10 and 12 at their camps in Fishkill, New York. The kids were selected on the basis of good academic achievement, involvement in extra-curricular activities in their schools and communities, along with positive attitude and willingness to apply themselves.

During their trip on Grand Cayman, the FAF kids group have learnt about the local environment at the Ambassadors of the Environment programme at the Grand Cayman Ritz-Carlton Hotel and toured the Stingray Sandbar. On 27 July the group attended a presentation by Cayman Traditional Arts, toured the Cayman Turtle Farm and visited the Black Pearl Skate Park.

The rest of the week will be filled with a tour Pedro St. James Castle, a visit to the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park and Blue Iguana Sanctuary, a presentation by the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, a tour the Cayman Islands National Museum, plus a tour on the Atlantis Submarine, followed by a farewell dinner at the Wharf Restaurant.