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. 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.
