$1.7M donation biggest ever for Brigadoon Village
HALIFAX, NS (Wednesday, January 15, 2020)
Canada’s largest pediatric illness camp program, Brigadoon Village, has just received the single biggest donation in its history.
Long-time supporter, Around the Bend Foundation, has committed $1.7 million toward Brigadoon’s programs and improvements to its camp facilities in Aylesford Lake, Nova Scotia. Included in Brigadoon’s expansion plan, which aims to develop the village to better meet the needs of more Atlantic Canadian children and youth, is the construction of a new arts and culture building commemorating the legacy of Brigadoon’s founder, the late Dave McKeage.
The catalyst gift by the Foundation to Brigadoon reflects a deep friendship that started between Around the Bend’s Founder, Wendy Black, and the late Mr. McKeage many years ago. Since then, the Foundation and Ms. Black have been loyal supporters of Brigadoon, investing close to $3 million in total over the last ten years.
“Brigadoon exists because of the many donors who came together years ago to support Dave McKeage’s vision and one of those first donors was Wendy. She’s always believed in Brigadoon and what it does for the kids that attend, so to have her be the catalyst for the future of Brigadoon is a true commitment to our mission,” says David Graham, Brigadoon’s Executive Director.
As the first major element in Brigadoon’s planned redevelopment, “Dave’s Place” (named in honour of founder Dave McKeage), will be an arts and culture fostering creativity through pottery, painting, music and dance. It will feature studios for ceramics, music and messy arts, and will provide children and youth an opportunity to have a fun and immersive arts experience while attending medically supervised camp programs at Brigadoon Village.
“Wendy shares our deep commitment to enriching the experience of campers, which is always the goal,” explains Graham. “Kids will celebrate being exactly who they want to be, while they have exceptional fun singing, dancing, and filling this space with music and colour.”
Brigadoon Village is entering its 10th year of summer programming for children and youth experiencing an array of sometimes complex health and life challenges. Almost 800 children and youth from the Atlantic region attended camp in 2019, making Brigadoon the largest pediatric illness camp programs in Canada. Its 14 different camp programs for children aged 7-18 gives extraordinary kids a chance to be ordinary. Brigadoon has hosted over 4,300 campers since its founding by the late Dave McKeage in 2011.
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About Brigadoon Village
Brigadoon Village is a year-round, non-profit recreational facility on Aylesford Lake in the Annapolis Valley. With our partners, we deliver camp programming to Atlantic Canadian children, youth and families living with health conditions or other life challenges. Brigadoon Village passionately transforms the lives of Atlantic Canadian children and youth to help them realize their full potential through experiential learning, meaningful connections, and exceptional fun. Recently, Brigadoon has become the largest pediatric illness camp program in Canada.
For more information, please contact:
Erin Gray
Manager, Marketing & Communications
erin.gray@brigadoonvillage.org
(902) 332-1543