| Gulf Coast Council (Florida) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Boy Scouts of America | ||
| Headquarters | Pensacola, Florida | ||
| Country | United States | ||
| Website http://www.gulfcoastcouncil.org/ | |||
Gulf Coast Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves over 5,000 youth in traditional Scouting and in Learning for Life programs 11 counties of the Florida panhandle and three counties in Alabama. The council service center is located in Pensacola, Florida. The council's name refers to the Gulf Coast of the United States.
Scouting was active in the area as early as 1909 through the YMCA, but the first council to serve a portion of the current council territory was the Pensacola Council chartered as a second class council in Pensacola in 1914. The council only lasted until 1916 and afterwards area troops were served by the BSA's Direct Service. In 1926 the Choctawhatchee Council (#726) out of Dothan, Alabama added Panama City, Florida Scouts. In 1927 the Satsumaland Council (#773) was formed and included three Florida and two Alabama counties. In 1930 the Alabama counties became part of the Mobile Area Council. In July 1934 seven additional Florida counties were moved the Satsumaland Council. In 1935 the Alabama counties were added back into the council's service area and the name was changed to the Gulf Coast Council. On January 30, 1935, a corporate charter was filed with the State of Florida. [1]
The council is administratively divided into 4 districts:
In 1961, the Spanish Trail Scout Reservation (STSR) was founded in the Gulf Coast Council. STSR is one of the largest Scout reservations in the southeast. It offers a full range of facilities including: a 40-acre (160,000 m2) lake for swimming, canoeing, and fishing; a dining hall; and many places to camp. There are two camps on the STSR, Camp Euchee and Camp Jambo, each with full camping facilities. [2]
Yustaga Lodge #385 was founded in 1948 by Ted Childress and Norman Savellea. A chief and eleven braves from the Alibamu Lodge, Tukabatchee Area Council of Montgomery, Alabama came to the Gulf Coast Council's Camp Big Heart on May 21–22, 1948 and inducted 24 new arrowmen. [3] The Yustaga Lodge also has a wide variety of patches. The word Yustaga means the "Drinker of the Fire Water."
Scouting in Florida is composed of Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) local councils in Florida. Scouting in Florida has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Scouting in Missouri has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day.
Scouting in Mississippi has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Scouting in Alabama has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Wisconsin has a long history with the Boy Scout and Girl Scout organizations from the 1910s to the present day, both programs have independently served thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
Scouting in Maryland has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving millions of youth with activities that have adapted to the changing cultural environment but have always been rooted in an active outdoor program.
Scouting in Connecticut has experienced many organizational changes since 1910. With only eight counties, Connecticut has had 40 Boy Scout Councils since the Scouting movement began in 1910. In 1922, 17 Boy Scout Councils existed in Connecticut, but currently only four exist. The Girl Scouts of the USA has had at least 53 Girl Scout Councils in Connecticut since their program began in 1912. Today there is one, Girl Scouts of Connecticut, which assumed operation on October 1, 2007.
The Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves all of the state of Rhode Island and some of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Its several camps include Camp Yawgoog, Champlin Scout Reservation, and Camp Norse.
The Chester County Council is a Boy Scouts of America service council that serves members of the Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, and Venturing programs in Chester County, Pennsylvania and Northeastern Cecil County, Maryland. It is one of the oldest councils in the nation, and is one of two single-county councils left in Pennsylvania, the other being Chief Cornplanter Council in Warren, PA.
Scouting in Georgia has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The state is home to many milestones for the Scouting movement. The Girl Scout birthplace is located in Savannah, and President Jimmy Carter served as a Scoutmaster in Plains, Georgia.
The Central Florida Council serves Boy Scouts in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Brevard, Volusia and Flagler Counties in Florida. Its headquarters was previously located in Orlando, Florida and is currently located in Apopka, Florida, just north of Orlando. Its primary Scout camp is Camp La-No-Che in Paisley, Florida, adjacent to the Ocala National Forest.
Westchester–Putnam Council was a local council of the Boy Scouts of America, serving Boy Scouts in southeastern New York State. It merged with the Hudson Valley Council in January 2021 to become the Greater Hudson Valley Council.
The Lincoln Heritage Council (LHC) is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America serving 64 counties in four states: Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Tennessee.
Istrouma Area Council serves Scouts in both Louisiana and Mississippi, primarily in the Greater Baton Rouge Area and Florida Parishes. Specifically, the council includes Scouts from the following parishes: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, West Feliciana, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. James, St. Tammany, Washington, and Tangipahoa. Wilkinson County is the sole Mississippi county in the council.
Gulf Stream Council is a council of the Boy Scouts of America in southeast Florida with the headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens. Founded in 1914, the Gulf Stream Council serves Scouts in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, Glades and Hendry counties. Throughout its area, it serves over 24,000 youth.
The South Florida Council is a 501(c)(3) organization chartered by the Boy Scouts of America to serve Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties in South Florida. As of 2022, the South Florida Council had a membership of more than 20,000 youth and adults in traditional and in-school and after-school programs. The South Florida Council is Platinum rated charity by Guidestar and a Four out of Four-star rated charity by Charity Navigator.
Southwest Florida Council serves Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Manatee, Sarasota and parts of DeSoto and Hendry counties. The Southwest Florida Council was chartered in July 1968, and based on membership and units, it ranks 46th out of 306 councils in the United States. The Southwest Florida Council is a geographic area divided into four districts: Alligator, Manatee, Panther, and Two Rivers. The council has an executive board of volunteers and a staff of professionals.
Water and Woods Field Service Council was a field service council of the Michigan Crossroads Council that served youth in the central and northeastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The Council was headquartered in Flint, Michigan, with service centers located in Auburn, Lansing, and Port Huron. The Water and Woods Field Service Council was the result of a merger in 2012 of Lake Huron Area Council, Blue Water Council, Tall Pine Council and Chief Okemos Council.
The Potawatomi Area Council is headquartered in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The Potawatomi Area Council serves all of Waukesha County and portions of Dodge, Jefferson, Walworth and Washington Counties. The Wag-O-Shag Lodge is the Order of the Arrow lodge for the Potawatomi Area Council.
Greater Tampa Bay Area Council serves Scouts in West-Central Florida with the council headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Youth are served in the following nine counties: Citrus, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter. Greater Tampa Bay Area Council was formed on May 1, 2016 by the merger of Gulf Ridge Council with West Central Florida Council.
