The Girl Scouts of Gulf Pines council has opened new worlds of thoughts and actions to over 300,000 girls and adults since being formed from four separate councils: Biloxi, Gulfport, Forrest County, and Jones County.  We received our charter in 1960 serving approximately 1,800 members.  With great vision and hard work, volunteers and staff alike sought to bring new worlds of discovery, adventure and fun to girls throughout south Mississippi.

Gulf Pines Council's jurisdiction changed as Meridale Girl Scout Council joined with us in June of 1994.  With this action we are serving a total of twenty-one counties, our new additions being Lauderdale, Kemper, Neshoba, Newton, Clark, and Jasper counties.

Gulf Pines owns and maintains two camps: Camp Meridale and Camp Iti Kana.  Camp Meridale, a 160 acre site located outside of Meridian, offers the rustic charm of camping in covered wagons, platform tents, and tree houses (cabins in trees).  Camp Iti Kana, a 339 acre site located near Wiggins, offers a full range of activities to all girls. "Iti Kana" was derived from the Choctaw language meaning "Friendship", as friendship is what built it. 

Thousands of girls selling cookies, the people buying them, the volunteers, coordinating the sale and the Mississippi National Guard assisting in the delivery of cookies for many years are just a few of the friends involved in the preparations.  The Seabees and Mississippi National Guard constructed a large portion of both camp facilities.