The Mid-America Council has a strong tradition as one of the Nation’s premier Scout Councils. Since 1910, the Boy Scouts of America has instilled timeless values of character, citizenship, and leadership in each young person who has entered the Scouting program. The Mid-America Council continues this tradition through educational based skills and activities. Currently, there are 7,192 Scouts and 2,969 volunteer leaders.
The Mid-America Council was formed from a merger of the Covered Wagon Council and the Southwest Iowa Council in 1965. The first recorded Scouting movement in the area was in 1918 as the Omaha Council. In 2000, our council merged with the Prairie Gold Council in the Sioux City, Iowa area. The Mid-America Council covers 58 counties in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota.
2024 Council Merger Announcement
The Overland Trails Council and the Mid-America Council Boards have voted to approve a council merger effective August 1, 2024. We arrived at this decision after careful consideration and months of discussions. The challenging circumstances faced by Scouting in recent years have motivated both Councils to join forces and unite resources. This merger aims to create a stronger organization that can provide enhanced opportunities for youth in the region.
The merger will benefit both Councils which should enhance unit service and strengthen the program. The synergy between the two Councils will strengthen the Scouting experience for all youth.
The merger will encompass administrative functions, current property holdings, existing volunteers, and various Scouting units serving youth from kindergarten to 18 years old. Skilled leaders from the Overland Trails Council will join the expanded Mid-America Executive Board and Council Committees to provide valuable guidance and expertise.
The Mid-America Council units and volunteers will end up with more volunteers to be part of the process. At the district and the Council levels, we will see more volunteers, and more people using Camp Cedars and Camp Eagle, and programming should improve for all of us on a regional basis as we have seen in the last year or so.
The Overland Trails Territory will have five representatives who will become members of the Mid-America Council Board of Directors. They will also have a member on the Mid-America Council Executive Committee, a member on the nominating committee, and a National Organization representative. This ensures that we have good communication back and forth between the units and the volunteers in the Overland Trails Council and they still have a say-so in what’s going on in Scouting, not only here in the state but nationally, as well.
Thank you for being a part of history and doing what is best for Scouting.