ACTIVE LIVING
PHOTO BY NIK SHULIAHIN
Kids Play Alabama seeks to shrink the gap of participation in sports by youth from lower-income families.
Playing for a Cause All youth deserve the chance to participate in an organized sport. Kids Play Alabama is making sure they get it Susan Downs has a heart for letting kids be kids. An extensive background in education, nonprofits, and her own experience as a single mom helped fuel that passion. After graduating from Samford University and the University of Louisville, Susan embarked on her professional journey in education, serving as both a teacher and an administrator and then principal of three schools in Alabama and Georgia. In addition, she spent many hands-on years facilitating student leadership training, and in 1990 she also created the Junior United Nations Assembly (JUNA). JUNA won two national recognitions for outstanding programming. She’s also experienced in nonprofit management, and she worked tirelessly on the 12 Bham Family October 2021
planning and grassroots efforts to bring a Curing Childhood Cancer car tag to Alabama, the sales of which have raised more than $3 million for childhood cancer research. During all of this work, especially in education, she noticed something. “Working with lowincome families throughout my 40-plus years in education, it became quite apparent that there exist many obstacles that prevent some children from participating in experiences that the rest of us take for granted,” says Susan. “I feel strongly in the benefits that playing a sport provides, and I wanted to see that available to all children.” As a single mom who experienced the financial CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
