Scouting in the United States Virgin Islands has a long history, from the 1920s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.
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Virgin Islands Council | |||
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Owner | Boy Scouts of America | ||
Country | United States | ||
Founded | 1960 | ||
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During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Troop 152, sponsored by Saint Patrick's Church, Frederiksted, Saint Croix, formed a steel band of grammar-school-age Scouts that was managed by Vivian Bennerson. The band toured internationally.
Today there is only one Boy Scouts of America local council in the United States Virgin Islands, eponymously named the Virgin Islands Council. Originally part of the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Council, the political entities were separated administratively in 1960.
The Arawak Lodge 562, named after a pre-Columbian Caribbean tribe, serves Arrowmen in the United States Virgin Islands.
As of 2004, the Greathouse in Estate Diamond, Saint Croix that served as Boy Scout Headquarters for the island was deserted; possibly the destruction of Hurricane Hugo caused its abandonment.
The Howard M. Wall Scout Camp at Milord Point Beach on Route 62 at Great Pond Bay, on the southeast end of Saint Croix, three miles south of Christiansted is meant to accommodate up to 150 campers. It has a bath house (with two separated banks of showers and two rooms of latrines) and a mess hall. The Boy Scouts use the facility during two brief periods a year. There are plans in place to construct new indoor housing and upgrade at a cost of $500,000.
The camp facility is open to Scout groups from other Councils.
Girl Scouting in the United States Virgin Islands is administered by the USA Girl Scouts Overseas—U.S. Virgin Islands of the Girl Scouts of the USA
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