Frank Reed Horton founded the Alpha Phi Omega on 16 December 1925 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Along with 13 other students who were all former Boy Scouts, Horton organized Alpha Phi Omega as a way to continue participating in the ideals of Scouting at the college level.
Six advisors were also inducted:
The founders insisted that all those gaining membership must pledge to uphold the fraternity's three cardinal principles of Leadership, Friendship, and Service.
Today, with its alumni in the United States, the Philippines, and around the world, and with thousands more of active collegiate members at universities and colleges in both countries delivering thousands of hours of service projects to their communities, Alpha Phi Omega stands as the largest service fraternity in the world.