By Henry Paul Johnson, Maine Summer Camp Historian

According to a newsletter article published by Camp Wohelo in 1942:
“All the camps of Maine are co-operating to raise money for the Red
Cross. The total amount raised will be sent to the Treasurer of the
Maine Camp Directors’ Association in a lump sum at the end of the
summer.”
As further stated in the article published by Camp Wohelo in 1942:
“We have high hopes in regard to the amount we will be able to raise.
Each camp will try to do its part to help this worthwhile co-operative
venture. Through the Red Cross Life Saving Program, the camps
have been assisted for many years.”
In the context of this Camp Wohelo article, Maine Summer Camps have been grateful to the Red
Cross for assisting in water safety and life saving programs. Raising money for the war effort gave
Maine Summer Camps an opportunity to give back.
The efforts to raise money came in many forms. These forms included projects relating to farming
as well as areas in entertainment such as plays, dance recitals, and musicals in which the general
public was provided the opportunity to pay an admission fee. It was even proposed during that
time that the Sebago Wohelo girls assist a “Ferry Command” to call for parents by boat at nearby
resorts as they may have difficulty in reaching camp due to the tire shortage during the war.
During the time of World War II, Camp Wohelo had been operational for some 35 years. Wohelo
Camps were founded in 1907 by Charlotte Vetter Gulick and her husband Dr. Luther Halsey
Gulick. Both Dr. Gulick and Charlotte believed that girls should be afforded the same or similar
physical opportunities as boys and it was in 1907 when they purchased property on Sebago Lake
where Camp Wohelo was founded. It is noteworthy that in 1908, the Gulicks developed camp fire
for girls now known as “Camp Fire for Girls”.
The tradition of Maine Camps assisting in global efforts, this historian would suggest, is
generational. As stated in the Camp Wohelo newsletter in 1942:
“There is a tradition and the campers of this generation have a
chance to prove that they are just as capable and original as their
parents.”
The spirit of giving and giving back is embedded in the Maine Camp tradition.