The bankruptcy of Boy Scouts of America won’t affect the finances, programs or plans of the local scouting organization that serves 6,000 people in 11 counties in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia, said Scott Fosse, scout executive for the Cherokee Area Council.
“The Cherokee Area Council has not filed for bankruptcy,” Fosse said. “Meetings and activities, district and council events, other Scouting adventures and countless service projects are taking place as usual. In short, there should be no change to the local scouting experience.”
Boy Scouts of America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday, in part to support the creation of a victims compensation trust as lawsuits alleging sexual abuse wend through the courts.
“While we know nothing can undo the tragic abuse that victims suffered, we believe the Chapter 11 process — with the proposed trust structure — will provide equitable compensation to all victims while maintaining BSA’s important mission,” said Roger Mosby, president and CEO of Boy Scouts of America, in a written statement from the organization. “The BSA encourages victims to come forward to file a claim as the bankruptcy process moves forward and will provide clear and comprehensive notices about how to do so.”
The Cherokee Area Council, meanwhile, is two weeks from a major fundraiser that draws hundreds of people– the 16th annual Friends of Scouting luncheon on March 4. This year, the keynote speaker is former Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden, and the event is open to the public for the first time at the rate of $1,500 for a table of eight.
The event is one of several sources of revenue for the Cherokee Area Council, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in Tennessee. In 2018, the most recent year when tax documents were available, the organization brought in just over $1 million in contributions and grants, as well as about $550,000 in program service revenue.
“The Cherokee Area Council, which provides programming, financial, facility and administrative support to local units and individual Scouts in our area, is separate and distinct from the national organization,” Fosse said. “Our camp, Skymont Scout Reservation, and all local contributions are controlled by our council.
On Tuesday afternoon, local leadership had added a note to the homepage of the Cherokee Area Council clarifying the independence of the organization from Boy Scouts of America.
Contact Mary Fortune at mfortune@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow her on Twitter at @maryfortune.