By now, the scene at the Scouting Adventure Center just west of Columbia is familiar. One teen has raved for months about the center’s climbing wall, building the anticipation for her eager friends, who are about to discover the source of that unbridled enthusiasm. Some seem ready to sprint their way to the top; others aren’t quite so sure. After all, the Veteran’s United Foundation Climbing Wall towers 26 feet high.
Since the Scouting Adventure Center opened at 6081 W. Van Horn Tavern Rd. in 2023, thousands of youths from across Missouri have shared similar experiences with the climbing wall and a dizzying selection of other activities available to both scouts and the general public. According to John Fabsits, CEO of Scouting America – Great Rivers Council, some 3,000 scouts or potential scouts visit the center annually, with attendees coming from all corners of the state.
In addition to the 26×53-foot climbing wall, which challenges climbers with 14 “lanes” of increasing difficulty — while helping teach communication skills and boost self-confidence — the center is also home to Sinquefield Innovation Space. Named in honor of another donor, the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation, the innovation space is divided into four areas that focus on audio, visual, and design; engineering; health and safety; and science and nature.
“We are thrilled to have this space dedicated to our youth,” said Fabsits. “It’s a place specifically designed for scouts.”
Realizing the Vision
It wasn’t always that way. Back in 2020, the Great Rivers Council was operating from a small office on Fay Street. The Council knew it required a different space and that its community needed more, Fabsits said. The council envisioned a centralized location that could accommodate meeting space, large groups, and an array of scouting programs.
When Larry and Brenda Potterfield heard about the need in 2021, they donated the former MidwayUSA call center building to the Council, giving the organization the 13,000-square-foot structure. While most of the space was dedicated for activity and meeting spaces, 5,000 square feet was set aside for offices. The site is now home to the headquarters of Great Rivers Council, which provides Scouting America day and summer camps and activities for youth and adult volunteers in 33 counties in central and northern Missouri.
These days, the center hums with activity, especially on the first Saturday of each month, when most events are scheduled. One such event is the Pathway to Eagle merit badge series. The center provides morning and afternoon opportunities for scouts to earn, per event, two of the 21 merit badges required to become an Eagle Scout.
Fabsits said scouts can earn those merit badges through a variety of hands-on engineering, health and safety, and science programs, which can help them build skills for future careers. He added that the center is a place for scouts to “get a head start in life and be supported by adults, all while having fun and discovering new opportunities.”
For the Kids, for the Community
Along with scouting-specific programs, Fabsits highlights the adventure center’s science exploration experiences and summer camps as other opportunities for fun and education.
The Unbelievable Science Adventures series offers monthly half-day science camps that let children learn through hands-on, age-appropriate experiments. When school lets out, summer day camps for kids aged 6-15 cover everything from climbing and coding to innovation and game design. These weeklong events are open to “scouts, friends of scouts, and those interested in becoming a scout” — or in other words, nearly any kid.
Open Climb days let climbers of all skill levels and ages, including children, try their hand(s) — and feet — on the rock wall. The event is held once a month, with two sessions scheduled per day.
While, understandably, the center’s focus is primarily on child and youth programming, it also offers services to the community. Each month, individuals 13 and up can receive training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external defibrillator (AED) use, and other first aid instruction. The center also rents space to community organizations, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, and to emergency management services to train and prepare for emergencies.
The newest addition to the facility is the Fleming Family Scouting Museum, where children and adults can learn the history of scouting.
To check out what’s going on at the Scouting Adventure Center, consult the center’s website, which includes a link to subscribe to the center’s free monthly newsletter.
Great Rivers Scouting Center
About The Scouts
Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts of America, is the largest Scouting organization and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. In Missouri, the Great Rivers Council serves 33 counties in seven districts. Columbia and Boone County are in the Boonslick District.
Mission
The mission of the Great Rivers Council is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime and to achieve their full potential by teaching them life skills and instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
Vision
The Great Rivers Council will be nationally recognized and regarded as one of the premier Scout Councils in the Midwest and be considered a leading youth service agency in central and northeast Missouri.
Scout Motto
Be prepared.
Scout Law
A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
Scout Oath
“On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake,
and morally straight.”
Locations
Scouting Adventure Center
6081 W. Van Horn Tavern Rd., Columbia
Lake of the Ozarks Scout Reservation
525 Camp Hohn Drive, Gravois Mills
