The Boy Scouts of America Mid-America Council
Little Sioux Scout Ranch

Please submit all tornado relief inquiries to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Rebuilding the Little Sioux Ranger’s House
Huntel Communciations has posted a site showing the reconstruction of the Ranger’s house at Little Sioux as a tribute to the dedication of all scouts and volunteers, and to the spirit and hope for a bright future and new beginnings. Please visit: http://www.hci-omaha.com/Default_files/LittleSiouxScoutCampRebuilding.htm

A Celebration of Leadership
The Boy Scouts of America, Mid-America Council will be recognizing the Heroes of the Little Sioux Scout Ranch Tornado on Saturday, September 13, at 3:00 p.m. at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, IA. Download the invitation

Community Benefits & Fundraisers

September 15 -|- Benjamin Petrzilka Charity Golf Tournament | This tournament will help raise funds to build storm shelters at Little Sioux Scout Ranch. Download the flyer for more information

September 18-20 -|- "It's All About the Music" - A Fun & Upliftng Musical Revue at the Scottish Rite Theatre, 202 S 20th St, Omaha, NE; $15 per person (Group rates available); Download the ticket order form

September 20 -|- "Live to Ride...Ride to Give Poker Run" | Sponsored by the Eagle Riders of Fremont. Registration 9-11 am, and 11 am start. $15 rider, and $10 passenger. Download the flyer for more information or contact Butch (402) 727-7653 or Curtis (402) 317-7264

September 27 -|- Trailblazer District Auction; 10am at the Iowa National Guard Armory, 2415 E. Kainesville Blvd. Council Bluffs, Iowa

• The ranger house basement has been finished and Hearthstone is ready to begin building the framework this week.  Tentative completion of the house is September 26.
• Remodeling of the Bekins’ Cabin (East Cabin) has begun.  There will be water, two flushed toilets and two showers accessible from both the cabin and the outside when completed.  No completion date has been set, but the contractor indicated it should be finished by late fall of this year.
• The creek crossing to the Wilderness Valley has been rebuilt.
• The main valley has been cleared of about 98% of all tornado damage.
• The volunteer search and rescue team of professionals will be returning to the North Valley in mid-September to continue the work of felling trees.
• All latrines in the main valley, including the one destroyed by the tornado have been either repaired or rebuilt.
• Plans for the Flag Plaza are being worked on.  No construction date has been set.
• Plans for the tree removal and clearing have been finalized.
• Limited use of the south end of camp may be permitted this fall. More information will be released as plans are finalized. 

Memorial
A second memorial committee meeting will take place in September. The committee will move plans forward. This process will take some time, as the Council wants to help meet the needs of the families and loved ones as best as possible. The committee has received ideas for what the memorials will look like and will discuss this further. Proposed locations include at the site of the North Shelter and at the Durham Scout Center in Omaha. Other memorials are likely. A timeline surrounding the creation of the memorials has not yet been created. We will continue to provide updates as they become available.

Donations
To date, the Council has received $367,724 towards the estimated $1.8 million for the reconstruction of Little Sioux Scout Ranch. If you would like to contribute to the reconstruction of Little Sioux Scout Ranch, you can do so on-line by clicking on the large fleur-de-lis to the right of this page, or you can send your donations to the Scout office at

Mid-America Council, Boy Scouts of America (MAC-BSA)
Attn: LSSR Relief
12401 W. Maple Road
Omaha, NE 68164
** please note on the check that your gift is intended for LSSR efforts

Fundraisers that the Council is aware of for the Scouts, their families and rebuilding efforts at Little Sioux Scout Ranch can be found below:

• "United Methodist Little Sioux Scout Ranch Relief Effort" – Click here for more information
• "Regearing Pahuk Fund" – Any Mutual of Omaha Bank branch or mail a check payable to “Regearing Pahuk”, PO BOX 34742, Omaha, NE 68134 – Click here for more information or contact Mark or Tobin at (402) 496-9683 or This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
• "Rob Logsdon Fund" – Any Vantus Bank branch, or mail gifts to 329 Pierce St. Sioux City, Iowa 51101
• "Thomas Auen Fund" – Any Vantus Bank branch, or mail gifts to 329 Pierce St. Sioux City, Iowa 51101
• "Josh Fennen Memorial Fund" – Any US Bank branch; funds to provide camping and Boy Scouting scholarships
• "Ben Petrzilka Memorial Fund" – Omaha State Bank; An account has been set up in Ben’s memory to help the family and to build storm shelters
• "Sam Thomsen Memorial Fund" (funds will support the Nebraska Youth Camp)
  Gifts can be made to either the Douglas County Employees Credit Union – in Memory of Sam Thomsen or Omaha State Bank, 12100 West Center Road, Omaha, Nebraska 68144
• "Ben Petrzilka Memorial Fund"– Any First National Bank branch
  An account has been set up to assist the family
• "Aaron Eilerts Memorial Fund” – Security Savings Bank, or mail gifts to P.O. Box 347, Eagle Grove, IA 50533
• "Aaron Eilerts Service & Giving Foundation" – T-shirts sold to raise funds for the Little Sioux Scout Ranch Rebuilding Fund – Click here for more information
• "Dean Family Fund"– Any US Bank branch, or mail gifts to US Bank, 501 Pierce St., Sioux City, IA 51101. Checks should be made to the Dean Family Fund

The council has identified many items that are needed for Pahuk Pride training. Please see the link below. We request that all items be new and still in it’s original packaging. All items can be brought to the Durham Scout Center at 12401 W. Maple Road during these hours: Mon/Tues/Wed/Fri 8am – 6pm; Thurs 8am – 7pm; and Sat 10am – 2pm. We welcome any gift cards or monetary donations for the family. If you have questions please call 402.431.9272.
Durable Equipment Needs for Pahuk Pride National Youth Leadership Training

Join Scouting
We have been receiving many calls about how parents can sign their sons up for Boy Scouts. Boys can sign up if they are in 1st through 12th grade, 7 to 18-years-old. Please call 402.431.9BSA and we will direct you to someone who can help get your son involved.

Message from Lloyd Roitstein, Mid-America Council Scout Executive
Read Lloyd Roitstein's speech given at the 2008 Citizen of the Year Luncheon

Cabela's responds to help Scouts in need
Cabela’s has donated tents, sleeping bags and other camping essentials to the Boy Scouts of America, Mid-America Council.

Grief Counseling
Anyone that would like to talk to a grief counselor regarding the tragedy at Little Sioux Scout Ranch can call (402) 717-HOPE (4673).