HISTORIC:  FROM DREAM TO REALITY, OPPOSITION AND CONSOLIDATION

Like every Scout Group or any other entity, the dream of acquiring its own headquarters, rocked a part of all of us, as it is almost a certificate that would guarantee the continuity of the Morvan Group.

The Group was already big, at the time between 1990 and 2002 our GE was one of the 5 largest in Brazil, with 3 Packs, 2 Troops of Scouts, 1 Troop of Girl Scouts, 1 Troop of Seniors, 1 Troop of Guides and a Pioneer Clan that at its height had 32 active members, and with no vacancies to offer, having a financial movement  satisfactory, with the collection of monthly fees and various social activities for financial purposes.

Who started the idea, arguing about the possibility of achieving the dream was Chief IM Flavio Gomes Coelho, CEO, but no one believed much, labeling it as a utopian attitude, since the city of Santos no longer has outskirts or available land, and for this reason, the price of the m2 is very expensive.

The conviction was made “shoulder to shoulder” and those who believed and were willing to carry out the Project were even called crazy... A Group with its own headquarters, in Santos, with the price of real estate? I doubt! It was heard!

But, as God is a Scout, he decided to lend a hand and arranged for a house to be put up for sale close to the school where we were based. What reinforced our desire is that the founder of our Group, Chef Cristiano Solano, had lived in that property. A happy coincidence!

But there were some obstacles: the house was abandoned by the owner who resided in São Paulo, it was condemned by the City Hall, and would have to be demolished. The terrain was very narrow measuring 6 m. wide by 42 m long, a sausage, soon dubbed the “Time Tunnel”!

After locating the owner, we entered into negotiations on the values and, with a good part of the Group's members supporting it, we sought to increase the number of people in favor of the purchase. It was difficult, but we continued to insist on convincing. During this period, two Extraordinary Assemblies were held seeking support from parents. In both, they confirmed their support!

We intended to make a counter-proposal to the owner, taking responsibility for tearing down the house, but we didn't have the money to do so. Not to mention the neighbors were suing the owner for abandoning the property. At that time, the City Hall created a Community Project that offered a partnership to carry out professional work in a community neighborhood, offering lectures on human rights, medicine, hygiene, dentistry, advocacy and other subjects. In this partnership, the City would provide the money and we would provide the professionals.

We were able to formalize this partnership, as the Group had all the professionals  needed for the Project.  When the professionals received their fees, they donated all the remuneration received to the Group.

Even without being unanimous, it was decided by the majority that we would make a purchase proposal for the house.

We already had a reasonable amount to make a counter-offer, and so it was done. After much negotiation, we offered BRL 45,000.00 in cash and he counter-offered BRL 50,000.00. Another big negotiation took place and he accepted the payment of R$ 5,000.00 in 5 monthly payments. We would take the property and the problems. Finally, the property was ours!

We talked to the neighbors to withdraw the lawsuits that we would tear down the house and fix the semi-detached walls, of both neighbors, with cracks and leaks. They accepted in a vote of confidence and withdrew the processes.

We had to tear down the property on the date stipulated by the City Hall and, despite the Senior Troop and the Clã insisting on doing the work, for safety, we opted for the service of a specialized firm, a former Scout of our Group, Gustavo de Araújo Nunes, who demolished and removed all the rubble.

Then we went to the construction phase. We were short on cash and even so, we tried to make the plan of the future headquarters, prepared by the Architect Márcia de Abreu Pessoa, former member of the Group, since wolf and with the collaboration of another Architect Pedro Luiz Zilli Porto de Oliveira, also former member, since Lobinho.

To start new savings, we launched the “Campanha do Tijolinho”, selling each one at R$ 250.00, which was well accepted. We continue with campaigns and promotions, barbecues etc. etc.

But it was going slowly and to make it difficult we had to change our headquarters of activities, because Colégio Docas de Santos was sold for demolition and the students were distributed to other schools.

We moved to Colégio Sedes Sapientiae, far from our land. We were living our lives and putting together the money for one day, to build. It was very difficult to get everything necessary and we were already analyzing several more economical alternatives, such as placing containers on the ground.

Meanwhile, we were in a property provided by the Maria Mafhuz Foundation with the promise to donate the property to us definitively, which did not happen in time, due to the death of the Foundation's owner and his descendants asked us to vacate the property.   

So, we had another proof that God is really a Scout: In front of our land, the construction of a College started and all properties were valued. We started to receive offers to sell the land.

So, in 2014, we moved the social-administrative headquarters to a two-story house, provisionally provided free of charge, by the elderly support institution “Casa do Sol”, where Chief IM Wagner de Paula Balthazar Pimenta is Director. With him, the possibility of selling the land and buying the townhouse where we were based began. In a few months the idea took shape looking for brokers to evaluate the properties.

To our surprise, the land was valued more than the townhouse, based on its location, and we decided to close the deal, selling the land in cash for R$312,000.00 and acquiring the townhouse for R$250,000.00 also in cash. The necessary renovation to adapt it to our needs began during the management of CEO Paulo Sergio Marques Junior in 2015 and amounted to R$ 70,000.00 and officially opened on 08/08/2015, the date of the Group's foundation, completing 65 years of life.

Now we have the dream come true for everyone's joy and union: our own headquarters!