Ida has lived in Methuen since 2014. But, even prior to becoming a resident of Methuen Ida was the biggest cheerleader of her nieces and nephew who were part of the MPW program. She has always advocated for them, helped as needed, and fundraised wherever/whenever possible until they graduated out of the program.
Ida is now back with her other nieces who cheer within MPW. This time around Ida didn’t want to just be on the sidelines helping, she wanted to be a bigger part of the Methuen Pop Warner Program. Ida was enlisted as a cheer team mom. She soon became the go-to person for every cheer team. Ida can always be found on the mat helping. Once Ida started to see how the program and the teams worked, she became very interested in ensuring that our youth are protected and have the program they deserve. Ida has been a staple for the cheerleading teams, on the Mat, on the field, and at the concession stand at every event.
In 2023, Ida was nominated and won the seat of Vice President on the Methuen Pop Warner board. She was elevated to President after the retirement of her predecessor. Ida loves and is prideful of the sense of community that MPW brings to Methuen. In her new role as Interim President, Ida will continue to mentor the children within Pop Warner and her goal is to encourage parent/guardian volunteers. Ida will advocate for the program and make sure that it is top in the Nation.
Ida knows how Pop Warner teaches the importance of sports and education. It encourages every child to be active, be part of a team, be respectful, and teach them to love the game. With the Little Scholar’s program, it instills the importance of education. Ida believes that volunteering shows the children of MPW how to help, be part of, and work within and for the community. When the children that were once in the program come back to volunteer it is the biggest win for our children and shows how needed programs like MPW are.
“Winning is good, as long as you learn, but winning is not everything; doing your best, working hard, and improving yourself are the ultimate goals. Losing is part of life; we must accept it, take the lesson from it, and look forward to a better tomorrow.” This is the message that resonates with what Ida is and one she will help to instill in the youth and the volunteers of the program.