Our History

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis (BGCM) owes its existence to a group of young men back in the mid 50s. 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, which was primarily a young men's civic organization, decided to start their own charter as a local chapter in Memphis 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 the enthusiastic but disorganized program.

In June 1958, with enthusiasm waning and funds depleted, the 20-30 Club 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 on The Phoenix Club, after the mythological Phoenix bird who after being destroyed arose again from its own ashes.  Albert Guenther designed the Club’s pin and Jeweler Bob Mednikow, through his business connections, had it made.

The Phoenix chose to invest in a nationally recognized organization, the Boys Club of America (BCA), 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 overnight with "Operation Flag Brag"—the sale of American flags. Envisioned by Judd Williford, Operation Flag Brag was successful beyond even his fondest dreams, and it established The Phoenix Club (also known as the Phoenicians) in the public as a viable organization.

With funds in hand and guidance from the BCA National Office, the Phoenix Club 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 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 Phoenicians opened the first Boys Club in Memphis at 189 South Barksdale. An outstanding and active Board of Directors were recruited by the Phoenicians and given the responsibility of operating the Boys Club. The Phoenicians 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.

1967: The Boys Club, Goodwill Branch, 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.

1973: In the fall of 1973, the Boys Clubs of Memphis began equipping the St. Anthony building at 1100 Vollintine as the fourth Boys Club in the area. It now stands as the John Dustin Buckman Boys & Girls Club.

1978–1979: The Boys Club, Ira Samelson, Jr. Branch, opened in an abandoned YMCA building at 894 Isabelle. This Club replaced the original Barksdale branch, and the facility located at 189 S. Barksdale became the Central Office for the organization.

1990: After the Capital/Endowment Campaign that started in 1987—led by FedEx Chairman and CEO Fred Smith and Memphis businessman Sam Cooper—the Boys Club of Memphis opened its fifth site, Southside Branch, at 677 Richmond, the former Lincoln Junior High.

1996: 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 many ventures. It celebrated its 45th birthday; it saw the demolition of the Goodwill Club and a move to a beautifully developed Hope 6 Project directly across from the old facility; it experienced the closing of the Dixie Homes Club due to demolition by the city. 

In 2000, the organization embarked on an aggressive Capital/Endowment Campaign to renovate, construct and establish new clubs and to build a state-of-the-art technical training center. With overwhelming support from the community, the campaign was a huge success. 

2006: The Boys & Girls Club, Hickory Hill Branch, opened at 4299 Ross Road. This facility experienced the most diverse population out of the other five Clubs in the city. Within one year the membership grew to more than 500 youth. 

2006: The Technical Training Center, a 24,000 square foot facility that houses culinary arts classes and logistics and distribution programs for youth ages 16 to 21, was constructed on the site where the Goodwill Club once was. 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 that the Technical Training Center provides. 

2009: As the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis looks to serve more youth by partnering with other local organizations, its first outreach site, Sycamore View Branch, located at 1910 Sycamore View opened in August of 2009. This facility is shared with the Sycamore View Church of Christ.