Cahaba Girl Scout Council

The Cahaba Girl Scout Council was, from 1958 to 2007, the Girl Scout Council serving the Birmingham District including Blount, Cherokee, Etowah, Jefferson, Shelby, St Clair and Walker Counties. On November 1, 2007 the Cahaba Council merged with the North Alabama, Cottaquilla, and Tombigbee Girl Scout Councils to form the Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama.

Girl Scouting in the North Alabama area began as early as 1917, organized partly by the operators of coal and iron companies in the Birmingham District and Tennessee Valley. Early summer camp activities were coordinated with Camp Winnetaska beginning in 1923. In 1925 a dedicated camp, Camp Gertrude Coleman in Trussville, was purchased and developed with help from the Birmingham Civitan Club.

The area council was first chartered by the Girl Scouts of the United States of America on January 1, 1958. It grew to serve 13,000 girls and 3,500 adults annually. Part of this growth was attributed to concerted efforts to reach out to underserved communities. In 1967 the Cahaba Council pioneered Girl Scouting in public housing communities, building "Scout Houses" for girls to have a safe meeting place in their own neighborhood. The Council also had a long history of working with the children of migrant workers, especially in St Clair County.

In 1976 the Council began to develop a new camp, the Kanawahala Program Center with a 45-acre lake near Chelsea in Shelby County. In addition to its regular activites and two camp properties, the Council sponsored a Girl Scouting During the School Day program which provided programs in elementary and middle schools.

External links

• Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama official website

References

• "Girl Scouts groups merge, get new chief." (September 28, 2007) Birmingham News.