Coach Jim Graver started the Leo ball rolling in 1957 and chances are that ball was a baseball. Graver was the baseball coach of the Abington High School in Pennsylvania, USA and an active member of the Glenside Lions Club.  With help from his fellow Lion, William Ernst, the first Leo club was charted on December 5, 1957.

As the world's first Leo club, the Abington High School Leo Club created the Leo acronym – Leadership, Equality, Opportunity – and they chose their school colors, maroon and gold to serve as the Leo club colors.  Later, Equality was changed to Experience.

In October 1967, the board of directors of Lions Clubs International adopted the Leo Club Program as an official program of the association.

The Leo Club Program as been growing strong for over 50 years.  Community service remains the cornerstone of the program.  Like their Lion counterparts, Leo club members enjoy serving their neighbors and watching positive results unfold.

http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/member-center/planning-projects/youth/leo-zone/history.php

The Leo club of Ruimveldt was chartered on February 8th, 1980 under the sponsorship of the Lions club of Ruimveldt. The club's first President was Leo Ann Marie Ward. The club's meeting first took place in the auditorium of the North Ruimveldt Secondary School, but today occurs every Friday at the Ruimveldt Lions club den in Festival City.

The Ruimveldt Leo club is headed by Leo President, Juanita Harris, and guided by Leo Advisor, Mrs. Mickey Anderson for the fiscal year 2012-2013. The club is one of the two functional in its region and strives to maintain the legacy set some 32 years ago by the first batch of Ruimveldt Leos.