Boys' Club of St. Louis

Our Story

Father Charles P. Maxwell launched the Boys' Club of St. Louis on October 3, 1929 on the second floor of St. Vincent's Parochial School. Under the sponsorship of the St. Louis Catholic Archdiocese, Fr. Maxwell's new club was the first officially affiliated Boys' Club in the State of Missouri. Several high profile and successful fund-raising events helped the Boys' Club of St. Louis take steps to operate as an independent private agency, free from community support, and governed solely by its Board of Directors.

By 1933, the club had an active membership of over 1,200 boys. It had proved itself worthy of community support and was admitted to the St. Louis Community Chest - the forerunner to the United Way. Over the next 30 years, the Club moved a number of times before completing and occupying the current 36,000+ square foot facility at 2524 South 11th Street in 1959. In May 2006, to honor Eugene P. Slay, who served as President and CEO from 1993 until his passing in 2011 and dedicated his life to making things better for the kids, the club was renamed the Gene Slay’s Boys’ Club of St. Louis.