Pop Warner Little Scholars, the nation’s preeminent youth football and cheer and dance organization, honored the Merrimack Hawks Pop Warner program with the second annual Pop Warner Community Star Award, which recognizes one program nationally for exemplifying Pop Warner’s core values of community service and impact.
The award was presented during the Pop Warner Cheer & Dance National Championships in Orlando, FL.
The Hawks developed a community service branch called Hawks Cares, which inspires its athletes to get involved in the community. In 2024, Hawk athletes have adopted and cleaned up a road in Merrimack, volunteered at various community events, conducted a back-to-school clothing drive to benefit families needing assistance, organized a spring cleanup at a local elementary school, and have plans to write Christmas cards to deliver to local nursing homes.
They host a community service event once a month to get as many athletes involved as possible. Giving back is at the heart of the organization and plays a key role in supporting the mission of both the Merrimack Hawks and Pop Warner.
“We created the Community Spirit Award because hundreds of Pop Warner teams across the nation do so much every day to give back to so others in need,” said Tim Glase, Pop Warner Little Scholars’ Chief Operating Officer. “We received a range of impressive nominations but the Merrimack Hawks stood out for their dedication and consistency in improving the lives of their neighbors in Merrimack throughout the year. While this award recognizes the efforts of one group of teams, we hope all nominees and every story serve as an inspiration to others to be more engaged with their community and to instill a heart of service into all of our athletes.”
“We developed Hawks Cares at the inception of Merrimack Hawks as a way to give back to the community that gave so much to us,” said Nikki Norton. President of Merrimack Hawks. “We thought it was only right for us to give back to the community in the same way they were giving to us. And then it just grew. We decided that Hawk Cares would show our kids that it's not just about them and their cheer plans, but it’s important to actually give back to the other the other kids in town who don't have what they have. They have done that and supported other organizations, like the senior centers and the Veterans program. It has taught our kids that there is a big world out there, and we all have to do our part.”