By Megan O'Matz
Staff Writer

December 19, 2001

A South Florida couple has donated $200,000 to the South Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America, in a show of support for the Scouts' prohibition against gay leaders and members, according to the Scouts' Web site.

The gift is the single largest donation designated for operating expenses in the history of the council, said Scout Executive Jeffrie Herrmann.

The couple made the contribution in September, but the council did not widely publicize the information because the donors asked to remain anonymous, Herrmann said.

The council's Web site, www.sfcbsa.org, however, describes the pair as longtime admirers of scouting who were "deeply disappointed at the treatment the Boy Scouts received from county and municipal governments, local school districts, the United Way of Broward County, and from some corporate contributors."

The Scouts lost funding and resources from a wide array of public agencies and private organizations after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2000 upheld the Scouts' ban on gays.

The Web site notes that the donors are appreciative that the South Florida council "has not backed down on its commitment to the BSA's membership standards and that the council leadership has acted strong and Scout-like in dealing with Scouting's detractors."

At the donors' request, the council issued a "challenge" to the community, asking individuals to contribute an additional $200,000 in matching funds.

Herrmann said the council has raised about $100,000 in the effort.

The Boy Scout council lost thousands of dollars after the Supreme Court decision, as local governments, including Broward County and the city of Fort Lauderdale, withheld grants to the organization, citing nondiscrimination policies.

Scouts take an oath to be "morally straight" and do not accept "avowed homosexuals" as members or leaders.

The Scouts were not included in this year's Broward County United Way campaign, because the United Way now requires its member agencies to sign agreements pledging to refrain from discriminating against people based on sexual orientation.

The council typically received between $128,000 and $175,000 in aid from the United Way.

Herrmann said the Scouts, like other nonprofit agencies, have experienced added financial setbacks because of the economic downturn and a decline in local charitable contributions after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

"The fall has been a difficult time for us in fund-raising since the tragedies of Sept. 11," he said.

He estimated the reaction to the Scouts' policies and the events of Sept. 11 resulted in a $500,000 loss in operating revenue this fiscal year.

"We're trying to avoid a deficit," he said. "We're cutting back. We have vacancies that have not been filled. ... And we've had some programmatic cutbacks."

Herrmann said the $200,000 gift will be used for general operating expenses, including camp programs, recruitment and activities designed to help boys advance through the Scouting ranks.

The South Florida Council serves 21,000 children in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in Monroe, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. It has an annual general operating budget of $3.5 million.

Megan O'Matz can be reached at momatz@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4518.