09/21/2026
💜 THIS IS A LONG POST, BUT PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO READ IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. IT WOULD MEAN SO MUCH TO US. 💜
Even if you don’t personally know someone who could benefit from Susan’s Mission, a share, comment, or even a like can help this post reach someone who does. We truly want to get our name out there and reach the families who may be looking for us.
Today, I’m feeling a little defeated, but at the same time incredibly proud of how far Susan’s Mission has come. We were up late last night preparing to participate in the Dwight Harvest Days Parade today. We had more than 5,000 flyers ready to hand out with our QR code and information about Susan’s Mission. While preparing, we kept saying the same thing: if we hand out 5,000 flyers and ONE of those flyers reaches an athlete or family who needs us, then we did our job.
Unfortunately, because of the weather, the parade was canceled. We completely understand why, but I would be lying if I said we weren’t a little disappointed. We were excited about the opportunity to get into another community and let more families know that Susan’s Mission is here.
This summer, something happened at one of our softball games that has really stuck with me. A family approached us and asked if what we were doing was “just for fun.” We explained Susan’s Mission, our programs, and who we serve. She told us they had actually been looking for something like this for her son, but when they searched, they thought the closest opportunity was all the way in Bloomington. I haven’t forgotten that conversation. It made me realize there could be families much closer to us who are searching for exactly what Susan’s Mission offers and simply don’t know we exist.
For the past several months, our board has worked incredibly hard on outreach. We have been looking for opportunities to get into different communities, attend events, share information, and simply let people know WE ARE HERE. We also signed up for the Liberty Arts Festival in Morris, which unfortunately had to be postponed because of weather as well. But we will be there for the rescheduled event on Saturday, October 17th in Morris, so please come see us! 💜 We’re going to keep showing up. And since we couldn’t hand out those 5,000 flyers today, maybe Facebook can help us reach those families instead.
Susan’s Mission has grown into something we never could have imagined. We currently have more than 40 athletes involved in our programs, with many coming from Morris, Minooka, Channahon, and surrounding communities. And right now, we are only THREE ATHLETES AWAY FROM HAVING THREE BASKETBALL TEAMS.
Three. 💜
When we started, I don’t think any of us imagined we would reach this point.
Our programs are for individuals ages 8 and up who qualify to participate. We welcome individuals with intellectual disabilities, including individuals with autism, Down syndrome, and other qualifying disabilities. There is an online waiver/application process, and if you aren’t sure whether your loved one qualifies, PLEASE reach out. We are happy to help answer questions.
And something else I really want families to know: Susan’s Mission isn’t only about playing sports. Yes, we offer basketball, softball, soccer, and swimming, and basketball is coming up next. But we also want Susan’s Mission to be a COMMUNITY. We hold events and activities where individuals can come participate, socialize, make friends, and simply be included, even if playing a sport isn’t something they’re interested in. We have our Fall Fest coming up, our annual Christmas party, and other opportunities throughout the year to bring our athletes, individuals, families, volunteers, and community together.
Not everyone wants to play basketball. Not everyone wants to swim. Not everyone wants to play softball or soccer. And that’s okay. We still want them to have somewhere they belong. 💜
As long as we have the volunteers, coaches, facilities, and resources to safely continue growing, we want to keep going. We never want a family to think there isn’t something available for their loved one simply because they haven’t heard of us.
So today, I’m asking for your help. Please share this post. Comment on it. Like it. Send it to someone. Share it with a family. Share it with a teacher. Share it with a special education classroom or program. Share it with your school, church, workplace, organization, or community page. Share it with someone in another town who may have never heard the name Susan’s Mission before.
Because maybe your ONE share reaches ONE family. Maybe that family has been searching for us without knowing our name. Maybe there is an athlete sitting at home who has been waiting for exactly this opportunity. And if this post reaches just one of them, then today’s outreach did exactly what we hoped those 5,000 flyers would do.
To every athlete, family, coach, volunteer, board member, supporter, and community member who has helped Susan’s Mission become what it is today, thank you. We never dreamed we would grow this much. And we’re not done yet. 💜
Everyone belongs.
🌐 www.susansmission.com
Jessica Paulsen-McNabb
President
Susan’s Mission
