When the stock market crashed in 1929 and millions of Americans struggled, Joseph Tomlin decided to move back to Philadelphia. He was home only a week when a friend called. Neighborhood kids had been vandalizing the friend’s factory, breaking 100 windows in a month. It was going to cripple businesses that were already struggling. He needed to give these kids something better to do.

Joe suggested that the business owners fund a sports program for the kids, and he would help manage it. That league would eventually be named after the new Temple coach, Pop Warner, and it would expand from the streets of Philly to cities and towns across the country.

Why Joe Tomlin started Pop Warner is always top of mind: to enable young people to benefit from participation in team sports and activities in a structured environment. But the leagues, associations and teams of Pop Warner – more specifically, the people of Pop Warner – go well beyond coaching kids to cheer or play football. They affect lives in the community. We hear the stories every day.

That’s why this year we launched the Community Star Award. Any Pop Warner team whose work relates to positive community impact is eligible for nomination. That could be organizing a day where you clean up a neighborhood park or visit a senior home to brighten the day of its residents. It could be raising awareness for an important cause or raising money for someone in need.

If you know of an outstanding team that meets this criteria and has sought to bring positive community impact, we want to hear from you. Please consider nominating them for the Community Star Award. The deadline is October 31. Nominees will be announced in November with a national winner announced in December.

Jon Butler
Executive Director