About the BSA
Headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, Great Rivers Council, BSA serves the youth and adult volunteers in 33 counties in central and northern Missouri.
The BSA’s mission is to provide youth character development, citizenship training, self-reliance and personal growth in physical, mental and spiritual fitness through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities, educational programs, and, at older age levels, career-oriented programs in partnership with community organizations. For younger members, the Scout method is part of the program to instill typical Scouting values such as trustworthiness, good citizenship, and outdoors skills, through a variety of activities such as camping, aquatics, and hiking.
Mission
The mission of the Great Rivers Council, Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime and to achieve their full potential by teaching them life skills and instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
Vision
The Great Rivers Council, Boy Scouts of America will be nationally recognized and regarded as one of the premier Boy Scout Councils in the Midwest and be considered a leading youth service agency in central and northeast Missouri.
Scout Oath
On my honor I will do my best to do my duty To God and my country and to obey the Scout Law, To help other people at all times, To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
Scout Law
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
GRC Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement
The Boy Scouts of America, Great Rivers Council promotes a culture where each youth, volunteer, and employee feels a sense of belonging and builds communities where every person feels respected and valued.
Leading by example and encouraging each other to live by the values expressed by the Scout Oath and Scout Law, we welcome families of all backgrounds to help prepare young people to serve as successful members and leaders of our increasingly diverse communities.
Scouting Adventure Center
Adventure means many things to each of us. Maybe it is traveling to a new place or trying a new skill. Perhaps it is setting our imaginations free to share a story – or listening to sounds we’ve never heard before. Adventure may mean climbing to new heights, or settling down to a creative dish you just made up. However you define it, just knowing a new adventure awaits you is thrilling to all of us.
Thanks to an impressive gift a new adventure awaits everyone in the Great Rivers Council. Larry and Brenda Potterfield donated a 13,000 square foot building to the council – and encouraged all of us to build a center for the future.
The Scouting Adventure Center is an opportunity for the practical – much needed office space, an improved Scout Store and storage for key equipment. It is also for the profound – space for modular activities our youth can utilize throughout the year to master new skills, make connections and move toward the future.
Lake of the Ozarks Scout Reservation
The Lake of the Ozarks Scout Reservation (Camp Hohn), the premier Scout camp in the midwest. Located on the Lake of the Ozarks Osage Arm at mile marker 44 near Laurie, Missouri, amid spectacular natural beauty and extreme rocky terrain, the reservation boasts 450 acres and a mile and one-half of shoreline.
The reservation plays host to our Cub Scout and Scouts BSA Summer Camp program, Project C.O.P.E., Climbing, and Sail Master program, thirteen scenic campsites, a state of the art pool, and our Invention Campus which features the iLab, program & woodworking building, welding & blacksmithing building and more.
The future is very bright at the Lake of the Ozarks Scout Reservation, with plans for some significant improvements, enhanced shooting sports and high-adventure facilities and major program and facility renovations.
The Dollars and Cents of Scouting
As a nonprofit organization, the Boy Scouts of America relies on the generosity of charitable donations to support its ongoing operations. The majority of funds comes from direct contributions. Each gift, provides invaluable funding for council programs that benefit Scouts here in central and northeast Missouri.
GuideStar
GuideStar Seals of Transparency indicate that a nonprofit has provided key information to its Nonprofit Profile. This recognition shows commitment to transparency. By providing up-to-date information, nonprofits allow potential donors and funders to make educated decisions. The Great Rivers Council has reached the GuideStar Gold Seal level as a demonstration level of its commitment to transparency. A full report can be found on the GuideStar website.