The History of Victor B. Jenkins Jr. Memorial Boys Club

The History of Victor B. Jenkins Jr. Memorial Boys Club. . , In a modest garage apartment building at the corner of Jefferson and 35th Street, the Jefferson Athletic Club for Boys was founded in 1933. The nation was in the throes of a great economic depression. The need arose for organized activities for boys. Victor B. Jenkins Jr. sensed the need and organized the club. He was a friend, counselor, and a mentor to the boys of the club from the beginning, directing the activities of the J.A.C. until his death., The Exchange Club of Savannah adopted the J.A.C. as its principal project in 1934 and founded the Coastal Empire Fair Association in 1950 to help support the growing needs of the club., Judge Jenkins was born in 1905 in Guyton, Ga. and died August 4, 1962 in Savannah, Ga. He touched the lives of thousands of young men throughout his life., The J.A.C. was renamed the Victor B. Jenkins Jr. Memorial Boys Club by the Board of Trustees in 1963., Herschel V. Jenkins, and later, his daughter Victoria Jenkins, gave substantial endowments to the club., In 1985, this premier youth recreational facility in Savannah was built on Waters Avenue. The Boys Club has an Olympic size pool, a weight lifting room, a large gymnasium for league basketball and volleyball, a handball court, baseball field and a game room. Annual registration exceeds 500 boys, ages 6-18.