Dear Palmetto Council Supporters and Donors:
As a valued member of our Scouting community, we are reaching out to provide you with an update on the national organization of the BSA’s financial restructuring and how the Palmetto Council is participating in the efforts to equitably compensate survivors and ensure the future of Scouting’s vital mission. Specifically, the Council Key-3 would like to invite you to a virtual Fireside Chat on September 22, 2021 at 6:30 PM where we will discuss these most recent developments in the BSA’s restructuring.
You can register for this event here.
Our Council’s Contribution:
As part of the Boy Scouts of America’s financial restructuring, the specific contributions each local council will make to help fund the Trust for survivors was filed with the Court. These figures were determined through a combination of information filed in the claims process and what local councils could meaningfully contribute while ensuring Scouting can continue in their areas.
Our council participated in the process and our contribution was determined to be $165,998.
The Palmetto Council is legally separate and distinct from the national organization. Our camps, properties, and local donations are controlled by our council. We share in the BSA’s commitment to equitably compensate survivors of past abuse. We are carefully reviewing how we can fund our contribution to the compensation Trust while ensuring that Scouting will continue to serve youth, families, and communities in in the Upstate for generations to come. While we have not finalized how we will fund our contribution, we anticipate most if not all being funded through unrestricted accumulated interest within our endowment. We do not anticipate needing to sell any council real property.
It is important to note that restricted donations can only be used for their designated purposes and are legally protected so that they are used as the donor specified. Local donations through Friends of Scouting (FOS) go straight to supporting Scouting in our communities today; these donations are used in real time and are critical to maintaining local operations. They cannot and will not be used to fund this settlement.
Our Commitment to Charter Partners:
The latest Plan also solidifies a path forward to ensure that Chartered Partners are represented in the BSA’s financial restructuring process by formalizing the option for them to contribute certain insurance rights to the Trust in exchange for release associated with all years covered under said insurance policies. The partnership between the BSA and its many Chartered Partners, including religious and civic organizations, has been critical to delivering the Scouting program to millions of youth in our country for generations. We are hopeful that this progress will allow us to move forward with the national organization toward emergence as one Scouting Family.
To view the most recent amended plan in its entirety, please visit www.bsarestructuring.org.
Thank you for your continued support of Scouting. If you have questions about the national organization’s financial restructuring we hope you will be able to join us on September 22. Alternatively, please reach out to us with any questions you may have.
Yours in Scouting,
Helena Miller Creighton Taylor Justin Williams
Council President Council Commissioner Scout Executive
helenam@comporium.netcreightontaylor@hotmail.comJustin.Williams@Scouting.org