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Leo Program History 

In 1957, Coach Jim Graver started the Leo ball rolling. Chances are, that ball was a baseball.

Graver was the coach of the Abington High School, Pennsylvania, USA, baseball team. Graver was also an active member of the Glenside, Pennsylvania, Lions Club.

With fellow Lion, William Ernst, Graver talked about starting a service club for high school boys. So they asked their fellow Lions for support. Without hesitation, the Glenside Lions agreed that a Lions youth group was a good idea. Graver and Ernst set to work.

On December 5, 1957, the Glenside Lions presented a charter to the Abington High School Leo Club whose members were mostly made up of the high school's baseball team.

As the world's first Leo club, the group created the Leo acronym - Leadership, Equality, Opportunity (Equality was later changed to Experience.) And, the group chose maroon and gold - their school colors - to serve as the Leo club colors.

Leo Club's Objective and Motto

In October 1967, the board of directors of Lions Clubs International adopted the Leo Club Program as an official program of the association. Open to males and females, the objective of the Leo Club Program was (and still is):

"...to provide the youth of the world (with) an opportunity for development and contribution, individually and collectively, as responsible members of the local, national and international community."

The Leo club motto is:

Leadership - Leos develop skills as organizers, time managers and motivators of their peers.

Experience - Leos learn the importance of cooperation through community service.

Opportunity - Membership provides young people with a chance to excel, to develop positive character traits, and to receive recognition for their contributions to the community.

Today, the Leo Club Program is stronger than ever. Community service remains the cornerstone of the program. Like their Lion counterparts, Leo club members enjoy serving their neighbors and watching positive results unfold.