The Formation of a Leo Club

The Benton Lions Club, under the direction of its Board of Directors, has initiated a feasibility study on forming a Leo Club in the Benton School District.

Leo Clubs are a youth organization of Lions Clubs International.  The word L E O stands for Leadership, Experience, Opportunity.  Their objective is to provide an opportunity for development and contribution, individually and collectively, as responsible members of the local, national and international community.

Leo Clubs encourage youths to develop leadership qualities by participating in social service activities.  They are dependent on a Lions Club to sponsor and initiate a Leo Club.  Leo Club members are addressed as "Leos."  They conduct various projects in the fields of health care, elders, children differently abled, literacy and education, and self-development.  Leos can raise funds by conducting fund-raising projects.  They can conduct projects with another Leo Club, sponsoring Lions club, or with an outside organization.  Leo Clubs are sponsored by Lions clubs and comprise an official program of the Lions Clubs International. 

Purpose:  To promote service activities among the youth of the community which will develop the individual qualities of Leadership, Experience and Opportunity.  To unite its members in friendship, fellowship and mutual understanding.

History:  The first Leo Club was founded in 1957 by Jim Graver, the coach of the Abington High School, Pennsylvania baseball team.  He was an active member of the Glenside Lions Club.  The club was founded with the help of William Ernst, another local Lion.  It adopted the high school's colors of maroon and gold.  The club also created the acronym Leadership, Equality, Opportunity for the word Leo.  The word equality was later changed to experience. 

In 1964 the Leo Club program became a sponsored program of the Lions district.  It grew beyond Pennsylvania and the USA.  By 1967 the program had grown to over 200 clubs in 18 countries and become an official program of Lions International.  In the following year, the Leo program spread rapidly, more than quadrupling in size, to 918 clubs in 48 countries by the end of 1968.