Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis owes its existence to a group of young men back in the mid 50’s. In September of 1955; in an inauspicious meeting of nine young men at the home of John (Buddy) Thomason; a single suggestion to work with juvenile delinquents opened the door of opportunity to thousands of young people.

Shortly thereafter, John Thomason, having learned of the activities of a club in California called the 20-30, primarily a young men's civic organization. It was agreed, and they received their charter as a local chapter in February 1956.

The eager 20-30 Club began its activities in the basement of Calvary Episcopal Church which had been volunteered to them by Rev. Donald Henning. The Club at this time was operated as primarily a Mentor program for juvenile delinquents. A school teacher was acquired on a part time basis as director of an enthusiastic but disorderly program.

In June 1958, enthusiasm waning and funds depleted, the 20-30 program at Calvary was closed. The group concurred that the job of youth guidance was one for professionals - a feeling that would bear fruit in the near future.

In the fall of 1958, the Club 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 of The Phoenix Club evolved from the mythological Phoenix bird which, after being destroyed, arose again from its own ashes - thus The Phoenix, Inc. was born out of the defunct 20-30 Club. Albert Guenther designed the pin and Bob Mednikow, through his business connections, had it made.

The Phoenix chose to invest in a nationally recognized organization, the Boys Club of America; and it 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: a sincere interest in furthering the goals of the Club, and potential for future leadership in the community. During the next two years, The Phoenix promoted various projects including a city-county basketball game, Front Street Theater ticket parties, rummage sales, and the sale of Greeting cards. The treasury built up very slowly. Most members felt it would be several years before the necessary funds would accumulate, but money came almost over night with "Operation Flag Brag" - the sale of American Flags. This project was envisioned by Judd Williford and was successful beyond even his fondest dreams. It established The Phoenix Club in the public as a viable organization.

With funds in hand and guidance from the BCA National Office, The Phoenix set out to secure a facility and an executive director. With the help of Mr. Hal Lewis of the Memphis Park Commission, the old Barksdale Police Station was leased to the Boys Club on most generous terms. Concurrently, Boys & Girls Clubs of America furnished a list of trained young men who might be interviewed for the position of Director. One man stood out and eagerly accepted the challenge of moving into a completely disorganized situation from a successful executive directorship in Huntington, West Virginia. Jim Carlile's training at the University of Indiana and his subsequent Boys Club experience in Gary, Indiana and Huntington suited him well for the task ahead.

In April 1962, The Phoenix opened the first Memphis Boys Club. An outstanding; active citizens 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 new club. The principal source of operating funds was then secured from Shelby United Neighbors -predecessor of the United Way of Greater Memphis.
In April 1967, the Goodwill Boys Club was opened at 903 Walker Avenue, serving the Lemoyne Gardens area. An arrangement was worked out to purchase the St. Augustine Church building and property, and a donation of $40,000 from Radio Station WDIA was the key that opened the door to Memphis' second Boys Club.

Scarcely two years later, the Dixie Homes Goodwill Boys Club was the third club to open. Once again, WDIA donated the necessary starting funds and the Memphis Housing Authority made available an old boiler plant at 919 Delmar.

In 1969, the Boys Club assumed a lease from the U.S. Corps of Engineers for a 153 acre camp located on Sardis Lake near Sardis, Mississippi. The camp had been previously utilized by the Girl Scouts. The Phoenix gave $5,000 to the Boys Club to acquire the improvements from the Girl Scouts, a one dollar a year lease was obtained with the Corps of Engineers, and Camp Phoenix was born. After the camp was opened in May 1970, The Phoenix gave another $15,000 for additional improvements. During the summer of 1982, a new dining hall was built. In 1984 the first all-weather cabin was built and the first all-weather bath house was completed in 1985. Today, Camp Phoenix is accredited by the American Camping Association and serves 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.

During 1978-1979, The Ira Samuelson, Jr. Boys Club opened in an abandoned YMCA building at 894 Isabelle. This Club replaced the Barksdale Club, and the facility located at 189 S. 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. Headed by Fred Smith and Sam Cooper, this effort led to the opening of 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. Sidney Boyd became the first Club Director, and attorney Pat Arnoult led the new Board of Directors.

1996 became the year of change for the Boy’s Club. With a new leader, Brad Baumgardner as President/CEO, the organization followed Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s lead; and the Boys Club of Memphis became the "Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis."

Over the next 10 years, the club experienced new methods of programming, it celebrated its 45th birthday; it saw the demolition of the Goodwill Club and move to a beautifully developed Hope 6 Project directly across from the old facility. The Club experienced the closing of the Dixie Homes Club due to demolition by the city which  created transportation issues for the kids of that club. The Boys & Girls Club, not wanting to lose any youth, began a daily van route to pick the kids up and took them to the John Dustin Buckman Club.

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. With overwhelming support the campaign was a huge success. In September of 2006 the Hickory Hill Boys & Girls Club opened at 4299 Ross Road. This facility experienced the most diverse population out of the other 5 Clubs I the city. Within one year the membership grew to more than 500 youth.

Also in 2006 a new facility was constructed on the site where the Goodwill Club once was. With a vision and the support of a handful of dedicated donors, the Technical Training Center was built. A 24,000 square foot facility that houses Culinary Arts Classes and Logistics and Distribution programs for youth ages 17 to 21. This facility and the programs offered elevated the Memphis organization; by making it the only club in the country that offers the magnitude of services as the Technical Training Center provides.