Leo Club History

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 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 has continued to grow within the last 50 years. Leos now constitute an international network of over 6,500 clubs in over 140 countries. Community service remains the cornerstone of the program, fostering a lifetime commitment to helping others. Like their Lion counterparts, Leo club members enjoy serving their neighbors and watching positive results unfold.