Fiver History and the Keefe Family Legacy

Did you know that Camp Fiver used to be a farm?  For much of the 1900s, the Camp Fiver property was farmland owned by the Keefe Family. “When my father Donald J. Keefe and his four sons ran the farm, we had about 65 cows and two horses and two John Deere tractors plus a lot of other equipment,” as the late David Keefe Sr. recounted. “In the winter time, the farmers banded together and cut ice blocks from the lake, and transported that ice back to their farms where it was stored in ice houses and used to keep milk cool while awaiting shipment to market.”

In the 1990s, the Keefe family was looking to sell the property to someone who would use the land for a positive purpose. It seemed perfect when Fiver’s founder, Tom Tucker, pitched the idea of an overnight summer camp for youth ages 8-18.

“One of the things that makes our family so happy about the Fiver Children’s Foundation and Camp Fiver is that the beauty of the land is well preserved, while providing wonderful opportunities for young people to get an extraordinarily good start on life through the many programs provided,” said David Keefe, Sr.

Since Fiver’s founding, the Keefe family have continued to support our youth and programs. Unfortunately, David Keefe Sr passed away in November 2022. His son, David Keefe Jr, serves on Fiver’s Advisory board.  Additionally, he utilized his background in advertising and branding to support Fiver participants in branding their own entrepreneurial ventures.

We will be honoring the Keefe Family legacy this summer at Camp Fiver by planting two trees in memory of David Keefe Sr. and his wife, Virginia. We are extremely grateful for the family’s continued support and are happy to honor their legacy.