Boysville, the Home with a Heart, was founded in 1943, as a result of Reverend Don Holliman’s observation of orphaned, homeless and abandoned boys sleeping in Travis Park. The local Police picked these boys up from the park in an effort to provide some safety and shelter for them. Because they had no other place to take them the police took them to a detention center even though they had not committed a crime. Reverend Holiman knew that someone needed to help these boys and thus Boysville was born. Local police knew of Reverend Holiman and his desire to help children and began bringing boys to the “Mansion” on Avenue A; a home provided by local businessmen to help support the boys. With financial assistance from the San Antonio Kiwanis and the Optimist Club of San Antonio, Boysville became a San Antonio tradition. Boysville was known from the beginning as “A Home With a Heart for Boys.”

Throughout the years, the mission remained constant. Boys came from broken homes and abusive situations. They were provided a safe caring home and a chance to gain an education. The home moved to a rural location in 1953. This move allowed the Home to grow to serve up to 78 boys in a farm like environment. The boys raised animals, did chores, and went to school. The plan was that the boys learned that family life does not need to hurt. As Boysville grew, so did the campus. In 1983 the Home moved again to its present location on 78 pastoral acres on Loop 1604 near Judson High School. This move allowed the Home to expand to offer a home to 96 boys.

In 1986, in an effort to keep siblings together, Boysville began accepting girls into the program. In 1995 Boysville added an emergency shelter to allow for the placement of boys and girls coming from a crisis situation. This expanded Boysville’s capacity to 124 boys and girls. In 2004, again to continue meeting the needs of families, Boysville expanded its continuum of care by accepting their first infants onto the campus as a sibling group of five needed immediate help. Boysville now cares for children of all ages, birth through College or vocational school. The mission is simply stated “helping boys and girls become responsible adults.” Boysville has a unique policy of never turning away a child for lack of financial resources.

A major component of Boysville’s program to help boys and girls become successful adults is the Boysville transitional living program designed to assist children throughout high school and beyond. Through the Boysville scholarship programs high school graduates are assisted through college or vocational training. Currently Boysville has 13 students attending six different colleges and technical schools.