The Boy Scouts of America Choctaw Council isn’t as large as other councils in the state, but it is committed to providing the best scouting experience for the hundreds of young children that fall under its reach.
At a benefit dinner in Decatur last Tuesday, Scout Executive Ken Kercheval spoke to Newton County residents about what the Council had been doing and what it planned to do in the future.
“Probably the proudest thing we’ve done since I’ve been here, in the 11 years, is really modernize and give a facelift to Camp Binachi, where all the scouts come,” he said.
Gone are the days of cold showers in the dark, Kercheval said. Camp Binachi now boasts hot and cold water, electricity in the cabins and flushing toilets.
“Actually, porcelain seats,” he said. “No steel, no wood, no splinters, no worrying about what’s coming up out of the dark hole. None of that stuff we used to get to enjoy.”
The renovated camp features a modernized bath house for councilors, who come to help manage the scouts on their annual trip, a large grill and electrical hookups at tent locations.
“We’ve just really done a whole lot of work, including putting in the shooting sports, which has been a great thing,” Kercheval said.
Being small, the Choctaw Council can’t compete with larger councils in funding. To offset that imbalance and ensure Camp Binachi can host scouts for generations to come, Kercheval said a shooting sports complex was added to the camp. Residents throughout the Choctaw Council’s region are welcome to use the complex, he said, and the fee helps provide camping trips and other opportunities for scouts.
“We’re open every weekend there isn’t a scout function out there,” he said. “We just hosted 170 shooters at a Relay for Life, so we’re helping other organizations raise money.”
The best part, Kercheval said, is the shooting sports complex brings in $80,000 - $100,000 per year, which goes directly to help the Council continue its mission of providing for the scouts.
“It’s been quite a blessing,” he said.
Unfortunately, Kercheval said, the shooting sports revenue still is not enough to cover the bills. The Choctaw Council has an annual budget of about $3 million, he said, $600,000 in operating costs. The United Way helps out as much as it can, but a decline in giving means the Council is trying to do more with less.
“We got cut 60 percent this year,” he said. “They used to provide about 20 percent of ours, but now they’re down to about less than 1 percent of our operating.”
Individual donations are what keep the Choctaw Council alive, Kercheval said. Pledges from residents account for about 42 percent of the funding the Council receives.
“So, we’re very dependent on people like you,” he said. “Doing the things we’re doing, giving our youth the chance to become leaders.”
To learn more about the Boy Scouts of America Choctaw Council, visit www.cacbsa.org/CACBSA/.
