BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER MEMPHIS HISTORY...

In September of 1955, at the home of John (Buddy) Thomason, a suggestion to work with juvenile delinquents opened the door of opportunity to thousands of young people. The 20-30 Club offered a space for young men to learn and grow and received its charter as a local chapter in February of 1956. As funds depleted, the 20-30 Club at Calvary was forced to close its doors in June of 1958. The group of men that had worked so hard to bring enrichment to the lives of many concurred that the job of youth guidance was one for professionals.

In 1958, the group severed its ties with the 20-30 after a close vote and decided to go local. A committee was appointed to pick a new name for the group and they decided upon The Phoenix. The name evolved from the mythological Phoenix bird which, after being destroyed, arose again from its own ashes - thus The Phoenix, Inc. was born.

The group chose to invest in a nationally recognized organization, the Boys Club of America (BGCA), and set out to raise the necessary funds to establish the first Boys Club in Memphis. In need of a strong foundation and Board of Directors, young men were invited to join when they could meet two basic requirements: (1.) A sincere interest in furthering the goals of the Club, and (2.) Potential for future leadership in the community.

With funds in hand and guidance from BGCA, The Phoenix set out to secure a facility and an Executive Director. In April of 1962, The Phoenix opened the first Memphis Boys Club. An outstanding, active citizen Board of Directors was recruited by The Phoenix and given the responsibility of operating the Club. The Phoenix pledged to raise $10,000 per year to help operate the facility. The principal source of operating funds was then secured from Shelby United Neighbors - a predecessor of the United Way of Greater Memphis.

In April of 1967, the Goodwill Boys Club was opened at 903 Walker Avenue, serving the Lemoyne Gardens area. Two years later, the Dixie Homes Goodwill Boys Club opened its doors. In 1969, the Boys Club assumed a lease from the U.S. Corps of Engineers for a 153-acre camp located on Sardis Lake in Mississippi. Camp Phoenix began operations and is now accredited by the American Camping Association; serving approximately 800 boys & girls each Summer. In 1973, the Boys Clubs of Memphis took an option on the St. Anthony building at 1100 Vollintine and in the fall of 1973 began equipping the building as the fourth Boys Club. It now stands as the John Dustin Buckman Boys & Girls Club. Between 1978-1979, the Ira Samelson, Jr. Boys Club opened in an abandoned YMCA building at 894 Isabelle. This Club replaced the Barksdale Club, and the facility located at Barksdale became the Central Office for the organization. The Boys Club of Memphis initiated a Capital/Endowment Drive in 1987 to create a fifth Boys Club. This effort led to the opening of the Southside Boys Club in the Spring of 1990. The Club was located on the site of the former Lincoln Junior High Gymnasium at 677 Richmond.

1996 became the year of change for the Boy’s Club. The organization followed Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s lead and the Boys Club of Memphis became the “Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis”.

In 2000, the organization embarked on an aggressive Capital/Endowment Campaign to renovate, construct and establish new Clubs and a state of the art Technical Training Center.

In September of 2006, the Hickory Hill Boys & Girls Club opened at 4299 Ross Road. This facility has the most diverse population out of the other five Clubs in the city and had more than 500 members within its first year. Also in 2006, the Technical Training Center was constructed at the old Goodwill Club site. This center is a 24,000 sq. foot facility that houses Culinary Arts classes, Automotive Repair Training, and Logistics & Distribution programs for youth ages 17-21 years. The facility and the programs offered elevated the Memphis organization by making it the only Club in the country that offers the magnitude of services that it provides.