Grant provides accessible aquatics facilities for local youth

Virginia Beach, Va. – The Beazley Foundation awarded Scouting America Tidewater Council a $200,000 grant to support the Fred Beazley Aquatics Center at Camp Lions on Pipsico Scout Reservation in Surry County, Virginia.

The Foundation’s grant consists of two $100,000 payments – the first paid in May 2025, with the second scheduled for May 2026.

Pipsico Scout Reservation has been a Tidewater Council camp property since 1958. It encompasses more than 900 acres of woodlands, open fields, marshes, sandy beaches, natural ravines, and cypress tree coves. Pipsico hosts an annual summer camp program, as well as special camping events throughout the year.

Pipsico’s original pool shower facility was built in a “communal” style for a predominantly male youth population. While Scouting America has served young women since 1969, the number of female participants has increased exponentially since girls began joining the Cub Scouting and Scouts BSA programs in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

To provide facilities for an increasingly gender diverse population, the Fred Beazley Aquatics Center includes individual shower rooms with sinks and toilets, separate changing areas, and outdoor rinse showers. The renovation project also includes the replacement of pool pumps, the creation of a staff room, and the enhancement of exterior features to promote longevity and reduce future maintenance needs. All updates are ADA-compliant to ensure accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

To recognize the Beazley Foundation’s support and to honor Mr. Beazley’s legacy, signage at the Fred Beazley Aquatics Center provides a link to Mr. Beazley’s biography on the Foundation’s webpage (https://beazleyfoundation.org/fred-beazley/). In addition, Pipsico’s summer camp program will be named the Beazley Scouts BSA Summer Camp for five years (2026-2030, inclusive). Name recognition for the summer camp program will be included in the camp leaders’ guide, merit badge guide, and on the participant patch.

“We are reimagining the aquatics building and replacing it with an aquatics center the youth deserve,” said John Scheib, president of Scouting America Tidewater Council. “The Fred Beazley Aquatics Center serves youth better by providing individual changing stalls, outdoor rinse-off showers, seven individual bathrooms with showers, aquatics teaching space, and more.”

“We are grateful for the Beazley Foundation’s partnership,” said James Parnell, Scouting America Tidewater Council Scout Executive. “The privacy and accessibility improvements in the Fred Beazley Aquatics Center support Tidewater Council’s goals to be laser-focused on safeguarding youth.”

Additional funding for the Fred Beazley Aquatics Center at Pipsico Scout Reservation came from various sources, including donations of construction dumpsters from AIM Services, discounted rates for contractor services from Tara Preston of Preston Homes, siding from Kyro Builders, and volunteer labor from local Scout leaders.

A dedication ceremony for the Fred Beazley Aquatics Center was held on Thursday, October 2, 2025, at Pipsico Scout Reservation.

The Beazley Foundation has focused on the needs of the community and young people since its inception in 1948. The Foundation supported restoration of Pipsico Scout Reservation’s Lake Beazley, a popular fishing area at the camp, in the early 2000s. In addition, the Foundation is a current supporter of Tidewater Council’s outreach programs for Portsmouth youth in underserved communities.

Scouting programs focus on character, leadership, outdoor adventures, wilderness and survival skills, personal fitness, first aid, citizenship, personal safety, family/reverence, sportsmanship, STEM education, and service in the community.

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About the Beazley Foundation

From the Foundation’s inception in 1948, the needs of the community, and especially its younger population, have been its primary focus, consistent with the concerns of Mr. Fred W. Beazley, the founder. Education, healthcare, housing, recreation, and similar concerns have led to substantial Foundation grants to a diverse array of organizations and programs serving southeastern Virginia, ranging from recreation centers for both adults and children to housing projects, endowed college scholarships, and initiatives addressing human needs. Today, the Foundation remains privately endowed and neither solicits nor accepts donations. Learn more at https://beazleyfoundation.org/.

About Scouting America Tidewater Council

Established in 1911, Tidewater Council is the fifth oldest Scouting America council in the United States. Today, the council serves approximately 4,000 youth and 1,700 adult volunteers in the Virginia cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, and the North Carolina counties of Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank, and Perquimans. To learn more about Tidewater Council or to sign your child up for Scouting, visit TidewaterBSA.com, email james.parnell@scouting.org, or call 757-497-2688.

About Scouting America

Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®”

Scouting America welcomes all of America’s youth into its programs. Scouting aims to give them fantastic experiences in the outdoors, and elsewhere, where they can grow in a safe environment. More than 130 million Americans have participated in Scouting’s programs since its founding in the United States in 1910. Today, more than one million youth are served by 477,000 dedicated adult volunteers in local councils nationwide.

To learn more about Scouting America’s mission, visit Scouting.org.