These are just a few of the rewards young people gain from participating in Leos. They also happen to be the values that create the acronym of our club name. In total, more than 150,000 young people in 139 countries are proud to serve others in their local communities and to call themselves Leos. These young community leaders are friendly, active and dedicated to creating new and exciting youth vo
lunteer opportunities by participating in their local Leo clubs. Social and professional connections are an additional benefit for Omega members (age 18 and older). History of LEO:
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.
