Michigan Crossroads Council

Last updated
Michigan Crossroads Council
Michigan Crossroads Council Stack 4K.jpg
Owner Boy Scouts of America
HeadquartersEagle, Michigan
CountryUnited States
FoundedAugust 14, 2012
PresidentLaurie Champion
Council CommissionerTim Ekola
Scout ExecutiveDon Shepherd
Lodge ChiefJason Babb
Website
http://www.michiganscouting.org/
WikiProject Scouting fleur-de-lis dark.svg  Scouting portal

The Michigan Crossroads Council (MCC) is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America that encompasses the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The council was formed in 2012 by the merger of nine councils.

Contents

History

BSA Councils in Michigan prior to the Area 2 project and the Michigan Crossroads Council Michigan Boy Scout council map.png
BSA Councils in Michigan prior to the Area 2 project and the Michigan Crossroads Council

2012 Merger

Michigan Crossroads Council's early map of their 4 Field Service Councils Updated FSC.png
Michigan Crossroads Council's early map of their 4 Field Service Councils

The Scouting program in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan saw a drastic drop in membership beginning in the early 2000s. The decrease in population was due to the economy in Michigan and the resulting out-migration of population, jobs and industry. The Area 2 Project was created in 2010 and studied the impact on Scouting and presented the Crossroads Recommendation, which proposed that the ten councils in Michigan merge into one large council. [1]

Erie Shores Council in northwest Ohio voted not to join Area 2 project. Hiawathaland Council in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, voted against merging into MCC and later merged with the Bay-Lakes Council in Wisconsin.

As a result, in 2012, the remaining Lower Peninsula councils were merged into the Michigan Crossroads Council (MCC). The MCC is then split into four sub-councils or "Field Service Councils" which are then divided into districts.

Field Service Councils

BSA Councils in Michigan, including the four Field Service Councils of the Michigan Crossroads Council Michigan BSA Councils.png
BSA Councils in Michigan, including the four Field Service Councils of the Michigan Crossroads Council

2020 Merger

In 2020, Michigan Crossroads Council made a decision to merge their Field Service Councils to create one central Council. [2]

Organization

The Organization of the Michigan Crossroads Council Boy Scouts of America councils in Area 2 of the Central Region is unique to Michigan. The Michigan Crossroads Council (MCC) was created by the merger of nine councils in the lower peninsula of Michigan. It is a coordinating council that oversees properties, personnel, and program.

Divisions

As of 2021, Michigan Crossroads council has absorbed it's Field Service Councils and is now divided into two administrative divisions. These divisions are formally called the President Ford Division, encompassing most of the western counties of Michigan's lower peninsula; and the Great Lakes Division encompassing the lower peninsula's eastern counties.

Districts

President Ford Division

  • Northern Lights
  • Scenic Trails
  • Shoreline
  • Timber Trails
  • Heartland
  • Ojibway
  • Lakeshore
  • Eagle Spirit
  • Chief Okemos
  • Wabano
  • Pathfinder
  • Nottawa Trails

Great Lakes Division

  • Blue Water
  • Rivers North
  • Blue Star
  • Three Fires
  • Pontiac-Manito
  • Chippewa
  • Ottawa
  • North Star
  • Sunrise
  • Irish Hills
  • Huron Trails
  • Sunset
  • Renaissance
  • Mahican
  • Running Waters

Order of the Arrow - Mishigami Lodge 29

The council is served by the Mishigami Lodge 29. The word Mishigami means "Land of Great Waters" in the Ojibwa language. The lodge uses the Mastodon as its totem. Mishigami Lodge performs service to all Michigan Crossroads Council Camps, hosts fellowship activities, promotes camping among council Scout Troops, Venturing Crews, and Cub Scout Packs, and attends regional and national Order of the Arrow events.

Like all Order of the Arrow programs, the Mishigami Lodge has youth leaders who are advised by appointed adults. The six lodge officers (Chief, Vice-Chief of Program, Vice-Chief of Unit Relations, Vice-Chief of Administration, Treasurer, and Lodge Secretary) are elected annually. The lodge's work is performed by committees which have youth chairmen and adult advisers.

A volunteer Lodge Adviser is appointed by the Scout Executive. The lodge adviser appoints other adults to serve as advisers to specific lodge officers and committees. The Scout Executive also appoints a member of the professional staff to serve a Staff Adviser to the lodge.

Mishigami is one of the six lodges that make up Section E2. Section E2 serves to support six lodges all across Michigan, Western Ohio, and Northern Kentucky. The section works closely with the lodge Key 3(Lodge Adviser, Lodge Chief, and Lodge Staff Adviser) to encourage growth and activation by offering the Section Leadership Seminar(SLS) and Section Conclave. SLS is an annual training tailored to each lodge and current challenges they are facing in order to give their arrowmen the tools they need to overcome those challenges. Later in the year, the Section holds Section Conclave which is a weekend full of trainings, fellowship, amazing shows, and more, all with the main purpose of activating and inspiring arrowmen.

The Order of the Arrow consists of four main levels: National, Regional, Sectional, and Council. Mishigami lodge sits at the council level. Beyond the council level arrowmen have a variety of opportunities to serve larger parts of the organization as a whole. Adults also have opportunities to serve at these levels as well. Individuals from Mishigami that have provided such service may be found below.

Service Beyond The Lodge:

Daniel Miller: 2021-2022 Section C2 Chief

Zachary Dotson: 2021-2022 Section C2 Vice Chief

Michael Ferdig: 2021-2022 Section C2 Secretary; 2022-2024 Section E2 Vice Chief

Broan Chrzanowski: 2022-Present Section E2 Adviser

Timothy Pfeiffer: 2022-2023 Section E2 Secretary; 2023-2024 Section E2 Chief

Camps

All properties in the Michigan Crossroads Council are operated by the council-wide Outdoor Adventures Division. [3] Each year, the Outdoor Adventures Committee assesses the council property and determines which programs each camp will be operating such as resident summer camps, weekend camping, or shooting sports activities. [4] The following is a list of camps that MCC operates:

Resident camps

The following are open in the summer for Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venturing resident camps. They are also open for weekend reservations year-round. [5]

Closed camps

Since its inception, the Michigan Crossroads Council has closed and sold several camps owned by predecessor councils to balance its finances. [6] The following camp properties are no longer operated for an indefinite amount of time and are not available for reservations:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in Missouri</span>

Scouting in Missouri has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in Michigan</span>

Scouting in Michigan 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in Illinois</span> Scouting in Illinois

Scouting in Illinois has served youth since 1909. The state was the home of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) founder, William D. Boyce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in Indiana</span>

Scouting in Indiana 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouting in Ohio</span>

Scouting in Ohio has a long history, from the 1908 to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

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 Old North State Council (ONSC) is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America that serves the eastern and southern portions of the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. The council is headquartered at the Royce Reynolds Family Scout Office in Greensboro, North Carolina and operates four camps; one of which is outside the council boundaries. The ONSC represents Boy Scouting in Davie, Davidson, Randolph, Guilford, Alamance, Rockingham, Caswell, and Person counties of North Carolina. The council's name is derived from the state's official song, The Old North State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriots' Path Council</span> Scout council in New Jersey

The Patriots' Path Council is a not-for-profit organization that establishes ideals in youth to help them make ethical choices by instilling values of good character, citizenship, personal fitness, and guidance. It serves members in the counties of Morris, Sussex, Somerset, Union, Hunterdon, and parts of Middlesex in New Jersey. It was established in 1999 with the merger of the Morris-Sussex Area Council (1936–1999) and the Watchung Area Council (1926–1999). On February 6, 2014, Patriots Path Council absorbed several Scouting units from the dissolved Central New Jersey Council (1999-2014).

The Great Lakes Field Service Council was a field service council of the Michigan Crossroads Council, a local council of the Boy Scouts of America. It served the Detroit metropolitan area and covers all of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. The council had eight districts, one council service center, and four camp properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid-Iowa Council</span> Iowa council of the Boy Scouts of America

The Mid Iowa Council is a council of the Boy Scouts of America that serves all Scouts, adult volunteers and Venturers in Central Iowa. This includes the area of the state capital, Des Moines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater New York Councils</span>

The Greater New York Councils (GNYC) is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America that serves the New York City area. GNYC has a unique organization in that it is sub-divided into borough councils, each of which is led by a borough executive. The borough councils are then divided into districts. Over five million young people have experienced Scouting through GNYC, since the council's inception in the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Heritage Council</span>

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.

Southern Shores Field Service Council is a field service council of the Michigan Crossroads Council.

The President Ford Field Service Council is a field service council of the Michigan Crossroads Council (MCC), a local council of the Boy Scouts of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Georgia Council</span> Local council of Boy Scouts of America

The Northeast Georgia Council, a local council of the Boy Scouts of America, provides scouting programs for 26 counties in northeastern Georgia, and serves more than 25,000 youth in Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, Venturing, Exploring, and in-school Learning for Life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf Stream Council</span> Boy scouts area 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.

Southwestern Michigan Council is a defunct local council of the Boy Scouts of America that served youth in Kalamazoo, Michigan serving Northern Van Buren County, Kalamazoo County, St. Joseph County, Branch County, and Western Calhoun County

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water and Woods Field Service Council</span>

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 Great Sauk Trail Council is a defunct local council of the Boy Scouts of America which was based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan serving Livingston County, Washtenaw County, Jackson County, Lenawee County, Hillsdale County, Monroe County, Eastern Calhoun County, and the city of Flat Rock, in Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historically notable Scout camps</span> List of notable Scout camps

There are hundreds of scout camps around the world. Some of these are historically notable Scout camps. Each Scouting association runs its own camp. For example, in the United States, a number of national camps are run by the Boy Scouts of America, and the local councils run the greatest number of camps. The two most important factors in establishing notability are the age of the camp, and its impact on the local community or country where it is located.

References

  1. "BSA Area Project". Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original on 2011-12-27.
  2. Hopkins, Christopher. "MiScouting Forward". Michigan Crossroads Council | Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  3. "Outdoor Adventures - Michigan Crossroads Council" . Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  4. "Transition Properties Committee Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
  5. "MCC Launches New Camping Opportunities Guidebook". Archived from the original on 2014-09-24. Retrieved 2014-09-15.
  6. "Michigan Boy Scouts selling off campgrounds to balance books" . Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  7. "Scouts BSA's Camp Munhacke in Gregory set to close Dec. 31".
  8. "Financial woes prompt $1.8M Boy Scout campground sale". 18 September 2019.
  9. "Welcome to GO•REC - Greilick Outdoor Recreation & Education Center" . Retrieved 2020-05-12.