For Virginia Beach resident Caroline McKinnon and her family, the beach is just a short walk or bike ride away, but for Kambria of Brooklyn, NY, the beach was something only in books and pictures.

For many, it is hard to imagine growing up never having seen a beach before or feeling the ocean water, but for lots of kids growing up in urban environments, this is the reality of their childhood. In 2009, the McKinnon family opened their home to now ten-year-old Kambria and simultaneously opened her eyes to a whole new view of the world.

“She has had many ‘firsts’ on her visits with us,” Caroline said. “First trip to the beach, first time swimming in the ocean, putting her head underwater, swimming in the pool, riding a bike, hiking in the woods, camping, picking blueberries, and visiting a farm.”

Through The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Town program, boys and girls ages six to 18 visit more than 300 Fresh Air Friendly Towns for up to two weeks in the summer. The Fresh Air Fund is an independent not-for-profit agency that has provided free summer vacations for New York City children since 1877. In 2010, nearly 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. Since its founding, the Fresh Air Fund has helped more than 1.7 million inner-city children from low-income communities enjoy free summer experiences in rural and suburban neighborhoods. Additionally, sixty-five percent of all children who participate in the program are re-invited to stay with the same host family, year after year.

Because of the effort of families like the McKinnons, thousands of New York City children are able to experience not only the summer, but their childhood and the world in a new way. “These are all activities our family enjoys together on a regular basis, and Kambria’s joy in experiencing these things for the first time allowed me to realize that as much as we enjoy all of these fun things, we take them for granted,” Caroline said.

The Friendly Town program is an experience in which everyone learns from and about one another. Kambria has discovered many new things and, her presence, Caroline says, has equally, “shown my children how to open our home and share with a stranger and how to build a relationship with someone with differing backgrounds and experiences.” The McKinnon children have thus begun to acquire a skill that many adults find challenging. Caroline adds that participation in the Friendly Town program “has been a blessing” for her family.

Kambria has truly come to blend into the McKinnon family and has bonded with the McKinnon children. “My children love Kambria and look forward to her visits each summer,” Caroline said. Their relationship extends into the year with occasional phone calls and Facebook messages, and the McKinnons hope to visit New York City sometime this year to see Kambria in her hometown.

“I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to participate in The Fresh Air Fund,” Caroline said. “The opportunity to grow and love and share has been priceless.” As much as the McKinnon family has done to enrich Kambria’s life, she has equally enriched their lives. Participation in the Friendly Town program is a tradition the McKinnons plan on continuing as long as Kambria is of age and beyond. “I hope Kambria will always be part of our lives,” Caroline said.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, is always seeking host families to enable as many New York City children as possible to benefit from a summer vacation outside of the city. To learn more about becoming a host family, please call Heather Bell at 757-471-3729 or visit our website at www.freshair.org.