Brigadoon Village to honour beloved founder with new arts centre

A Nova Scotia camp that welcomes hundreds of kids with chronic illness and special needs from across the Atlantic region each year plans to honour its deceased founder with an arts complex.

Located in Aylesford in the Annapolis Valley, Brigadoon Village is the largest pediatric children's camp in the country and was founded by Dave McKeage, who died on Dec. 30, 2018, at the age of 49.

After McKeage's death, a camp donor stepped forward asking how the camp planned to commemorate McKeage.

"He was adamant that he wanted to do something to support Dave and make sure that he was recognized on the site," David Graham, Brigadoon's executive director, told CBC's Information Morning.

The camp launched in the summer of 2011 and hosted 38 children. This summer, it served 800 children from across the Atlantic region.

What 'Dave's Place' will consist of

Graham said the site's architect took McKeage's passion for the arts and designed an arts facility called "Dave's Place" that will house a fine-arts complex, music building, pottery area and a large deck for activities.

"Brigadoon is Dave McKeage… but he was very adamant that once Brigadoon got going, it wasn't about him anymore, it wasn't about his story, it was about our children's story that were coming to us," he said.

"We want to make sure that our kids remember the guy who had the idea that put them where they are today."

The plans were revealed Tuesday as McKeage's family, volunteers, campers and community leaders gathered to commemorate his legacy.

Diagnosed with cancer at a young age, McKeage attended a camp for children with cancer in Yarmouth — Camp Goodtime — and appreciated the opportunity to meet other children at camp with a similar diagnosis.

"That allowed him to sort of foster the idea that there were other children with other diagnoses that could benefit from the camp experience," said Graham.

Finding inspiration in Camp Goodtime

"It goes well beyond just a fun week away for these kids… many of them are meeting kids for the first time who have the same diagnosis as them, so that feeling of isolation and being alone has been alleviated."

Drawing inspiration from Camp Goodtime, McKeage worked diligently through subsequent cancer diagnoses and treatments, appealing to friends, associates and government officials to raise the funds to build the facility.

"He had to step away from the organization in 2012 with another diagnosis, but he was always very much a part of what Brigadoon was, and with him passing away in December, he's still very much a part of what Brigadoon is today, and what will be as we move forward," said Graham.