Supporting & Inspiring the Next Generation

“In my opinion, of all the contrivances of the human mind, the Boy Scout movement ranks third, just behind fire and the invention of the wheel.”

– William S. Dietrich II, Speech to Boy Scouts of America gathering in 2010


The Laurel Highlands Council serves nearly 17,000 youth members and 5,000 volunteers across Western Pennsylvania, Western Maryland, and parts of West Virginia.

In honor of Bill’s lifelong passion for Scouting, the regional Laurel Highlands Council directs annual distributions from The Dietrich Foundation to support and inspire Scouts to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in their daily life, their studies, and career possibilities. To support the STEM initiative, an extremely popular five-week STEM Scouts Day Camp is offered each summer, open to all children.