Camp Fire is one of the oldest private youth service agencies in the United States.  Camp Fire Girls was founded in 1910 by Dr. Luther Gulick, his wife Charlotte Vetter Gulick and a group of professional men and women in the fields of education, recreation, health and human relations.  What began as a summer camp on Lake Sebago in Maine would become the nation's first camp for girls, and serve as the foundation for this country's first non secretional program designed specifically for girls.   

The Gulicks built a program for their unique camp based on the principle of developing "whole" girls, just as Boy Scouts structured its program to develop well balanced young men.  The Gulicks believed in love and happiness, in work and responsibility and in earning one's way.  They endorsed the idea that constructive work created the roots of true service to humanity and a genuine joy of living, thus establishing Camp Fire's pledge to ''give service."  Based on this philosophy, the Gulicks renamed their camp WoHeLo, a union of Work, Health and Love that constructively developed the body, mind and spirit of girls.  Since the establishment of Camp WoHeLo-Sebago in 1910, Camp Fire has constructed and maintained a strong tradition of empowering youth to become responsible, contributing citizens with positive self esteem. 

The earliest known Camp Fire groups in the metropolitan Atlanta area were organized through churches in 1915; the first, the Cherokee Camp Fire Group in Clarkston, was lead by Mrs. Tom Jolly and the second, lead by Mrs. William E. Hill, formed in the West End Presbyterian Church.  Similar church based groups were formed across the city as the need for Camp Fire service increased.  Camp Fire Girls, Atlanta Area was chartered on November 2, 1923 by the National Organization to promote and supervise Camp Fire Girls programs in the metropolitan Atlanta area.  Fourteen prominent Atlanta citizens organized the first Board of Directors with Dr. Harvey Cox, then president of Emory University, presiding. 

One of the original charter directors, Mrs. Thomas R. Brooke, is credited with locating the site for a girls camp in North Georgia.  Mrs. Brooke's search began in 1923 and concluded with the purchase of three parcels of land in Toccoa in 1926.  The first group of girls to stay at the camp named her "best mother."  She is now considered the "mother of Camp Toccoa." 

Camp Fire remained an organization whose membership was restricted to girls until the 1970s when the National Council restructured itself under the philosophy of a New Day.  Local councils across the country recognized the need for Camp Fire's unique curriculum for both girls and boys and began to respond accordingly by adapting and creating methods of delivering the program to all youth.  Camp Fire's National Council opened membership to boys in 1975; the Georgia Council began coeducational programming in the years to follow.  The new Camp Fire Boys and Girls and the effect of these changes empowered the Georgia Council to assess the special needs of this community and develop programming suitable for addressing these needs. 

Today, Camp Fire USA serves more than 600,000 youths nationally, regardless of race, creed, religion and economic level.  The Georgia Council serves more than 4,000 youth annually.  

One of Camp Fire USA greatest strengths is its ability to anticipate, plan and adapt to change.  So many people fondly remember the Camp Fire of their childhood -- a youth service organization that was a growing, dynamic force in the community.  However, tradition and ways of doing things that were effective 30 or even 15 years ago are not working today.  Today's children are confronted with violence, crime and poverty in ways unlike any generation before.   

Camp Fire USA is changing and adapting older programs and creating new ones to constructively help kids manage today's issues.  Camp Fire is serving boys and girls in their communities -- in classrooms, day care centers, neighborhood recreation centers -- where children exist both physically and emotionally.  Camp Fire is working with youth to form partnerships with adult mentors, empowering them to impact relevant issues.  Camp Fire successfully incorporates necessary change into its programming, while continuing the best of tradition, encouraging creative expression and appreciation of the world, promoting citizenship, giving service and building self-reliance.