Gerald R. Ford Council

Gerald R. Ford Council
Owner	Boy Scouts of America
Country	United States
President	Michael Melinn
Council Commissioner	Tom Wheeler
Scout Executive	Michael Sulgrove
Website http://bsagrfc.org/
Scouting portal

The Gerald R. Ford Council is a local council of the Boy Scouts of America, serving Scouts in western Michigan.

Gerald R. Ford Council serves scouts in the West-Central portion of Michigan

History

The council was formed by the merger of Timber Trails Council and Grand Valley Council in 1975, and was known as West Michigan Shores Council until 1995. At that time, the Council was renamed after Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States and an Eagle Scout from the Grand Rapids area.

Camp Shawondossee was the former camp of the Grand Valley Council, located on Duck Lake in Muskegon County in Whitehall. The land is now part of Duck Lake State Park.

Organization

• Five Rivers District
• Eagle Spirit District
• Pere Marquette District
• Lakeshore District

Gerber Scout Reservation

Gerber Scout Reservation
Location	Blue Lake Township, Michigan
Founded	1951

Gerber Scout Reservation, is a Boy Scout Summer Camp located at 1733 Owassippe Rd., Twin Lake, MI 49457, Blue Lake Township, Muskegon County, Michigan. The camp first opened in 1951 and is currently owned by the Gerald R. Ford Council. The approximately 800-acre (3.2 km²) property containing Big Britton Lake, Little Britton Lake, and Mayo Lake was donated in part by the Gerber Products Company in 1951. The Gerber Scout Reservation is divided into three camps; one for Boy Scouts, one for Cub Scouts and a new camp for Venturing crews.^[1]

In recent years, Gerber Scout Reservation attendance (all camps) has swelled from 900 in 1997 to over 2,300 in 2009. Much of this increase can be attributed to the 1998 initiation of the Cub Scout and Webelos Adventureland, a section of the camp dedicated to Cub Scouts. Gerber currently has the capacity to accommodate 400 Boy Scouts, 200 Cub Scouts and 100 Venturers each week or session. Activities offered at the camp include the waterfront, Honor Ground, climbing tower/COPE, Scoutcraft, Handicraft, Environmental Resource Center, archery, and shooting sports. In 2008, a technology center was added to the camp, offering a new-age spin on the traditional summer camp experience. On December 24, 2008, Merrill Dining Hall collapsed and for the summer of 2009 a wedding tent was used. The new dining hall named the Centennial Dinning Lodge was completed in 2010 for the 2010 summer camp season.

Summer camp

The Boy Scout program at Gerber Scout Camp consists of one week per session of outdoor camping from Sunday to Saturday. During the course of the summer there is a total of nine weeks, eight weeks of camping and a staff-only week. Scouts come to have one of the most memorable weeks of their life in addition to earning merit badges. Scouts can also be inducted into the Order of the Arrow during a ceremony which is held on Wednesday nights.

Webelos Scout/Cub Scout Adventureland

Webelos Scout/Cub Scout Adventureland, or Cub Camp for short, is an overnight camp for Cub Scouts. For the first 4½ weeks of the summer it hosts Webelos Scouts, who are there for four days and three nights. In this time they go to ten program areas, an evening program and two firebowls, which are song and skit-filled events similar to a variety show held in the camp's amphitheater. Packs arrive on Sunday or Wednesday and leave on Wednesday or Saturday, respectively. For the last two weeks of summer Cub Camp hosts Wolf and Bear Cub Scouts. The Cub Camp consists of three days and two nights. Unlike the Webelos, Cubs only go to six program areas, one firebowl, and an evening program. They arrive on Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday and leave on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, respectively.

Venture Base

The new DeVos Family Venture Base has completed phase one of construction. The base consists of 3 cabins and a central pavilion. Phase two of construction is planned for the fall of 2010 and the spring or 2011. Phase two will add two more cabins and a central building. The base is intended to be the starting point for future high-adventure related activities within the Gerald R. Ford Council.

Non-summer usage

While the camp experiences the most use during the summer camp season the reservation is in use nearly all year. This includes the usage of cabins, campsites and other facilities during the weekends and sometimes the week. During this time the camp ranger and family reside on camp. Many yearly activities occur during this time such as two Order of the Arrow conclaves (Fall and Spring) for the Nacha Tindey lodge, multiple training sessions for the summer camp staff, a religious retreat and a Venture Kickback weekend.

Nacha Tindey Lodge

Nacha Tindey Lodge is based in the Gerald R. Ford Council of west Michigan. Nacha Tindey is Leni Lenape for "Three Fires". The Lodge is very active and is divided into 4 chapters, the borders of which are the same as the borders of the council's districts. Since 1997, its members typically put in over 10,000 hours of service annually to Gerber Scout Camp and the west Michigan community. The Lodge holds an annual winter banquet, two fellowsips(A fellowship is for the lodge members only where as a conclave is for the members of a section where the Arrowmen help dismantle Gerber Scout Camp for the winter, or set up for the summer season.

Nacha Tindey Lodge is a part of the Order of the Arrow in the Boy Scouts of America. It came from the merger of Jibshe Wanagan lodge and Nakida Naou lodge.

Nacha Tindey Lodge has a standing executive committee which includes a Lodge Chief, Vice Chief of Administration, Vice Chief of Service, Vice Chief of Program, Secretary and Treasurer. It also has four (one for each chapter) Chapter Chiefs and numerous committee chairmen. There are usually 10 scheduled meetings where the members plan upcoming events, report on current events and discuss ideas.

In the Spring of 2007 Nacha Tindey restructured itself with Gerald R. Ford Council and went from six chapters to four chapters.

Every other year Nacha Tindey sends a delegation to the NOAC (National Order of the Arrow Conference). This takes place on college campuses where thousands of Arrowmen go to have fellowship, attend trainings, and trade patches.

In 2001, Nacha Tindey introduced the Takachsin. It is a necklace that is worn to show the Arrowman's achievements and services as well as how long they have been a member.

Nacha Tindey is part of Section C-2B which encompasses most of western and northern Michigan and the upper peninsula.

References

1. ^ Where to Go Camping

See also

• Scouting in Michigan