Parents Organized Neighborhood Kickball Game for Son with Down Syndrome. Then the Kids Kept Coming Back to Play (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

The first thing Jack DowDell does when he wakes up is turn on his favorite music and sing. He doesn’t care if the neighbors can hear him or whether he’s hitting all the right notes — he just loves to belt it out.

Jack, a 14-year-old from Salt Lake City, Utah, was born with Down syndrome. His parents, Kimberly, a fitness instructor, and Devon DowDell, a project manager for a mortgage company, didn’t know about his diagnosis before his birth, and in fact, they didn’t know much about Down syndrome at all.

But now, years later, Kimberly and Devon, who are also parents to three other children, are raising awareness about Jack’s diagnosis and navigating a world that often lacks inclusivity on social media, garnering more than 190,000 followers onTikTokandInstagram.

“We’ve stepped into this journey that was so unknown and foreign to us and we’ve just run with it,” Kimberly tells PEOPLE.

A photo of the DowDell family.Kimberly DowDell

Kimberly DowDell

In addition to posting about Jack’s love for music, especiallyTaylor Swift, his parents tell PEOPLE that they also share how much he loves being active. But because he’s a little smaller and slower than many of his peers, they often worry that other kids might leave him out, fearing he could get hurt.

So, when summer rolled around this year, Devon and Kimberly wanted to make sure Jack had activities to keep him engaged. Devon suggested playing kickball, a sport he enjoyed growing up with his friends. The couple invited kids from the neighborhood, dividing them into two teams, with Jack’s only job being to kick the ball. This way, while the other kids were running, they didn’t have to worry about accidentally knocking Jack over or tripping him up, but he could still be involved in every play and every kick.

Kimberly DowDell and Devon DowDell with their son Jack DowDell.Kimberly DowDell

“When we first started, I’d go up to a couple of the neighbor kids and ask, ‘Do you want to play?’ " Devon says. “The first time, we had 10 kids, but then they went and told their friends and neighbors how fun it was. The games just kept getting bigger and bigger. Before we knew it, I wasn’t having to ask them anymore.”

Jack DowDell playing kickball with his neighbors.Kimberly DowDell

“They started coming up to the door, saying, ‘Hey, are we playing tonight?’ " he adds. “The funny thing is, a couple of times, we were driving down the street — probably after work, getting some food — and all the kids would follow us as we drove into the driveway, asking, ‘Are we playing today? Are we playing today?’ They really loved it.”

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To make the game even better, Devon told the kids that whichever team won, he’d drive them to the local convenience store for Slurpees, which are Jack’s favorite.

“It’s just been really popular,” Devon says. “The kids have loved it in the neighborhood, and with me being the ref, it kept the game moving. Everyone was happy, and it kept Jack safe with all the interactions. It’s just been a lot of fun. The kids would start chanting ‘Jack, Jack, Jack’ before he kicked the ball, and their parents were telling us how much they loved that their kids were staying active over the summer and having fun. It’s been a great experience all around.”

Jack DowDell holds up Slurpees with his neighbors.Kimberly DowDell

“The cool thing for us is that Jack now has relationships with all the kids in the neighborhood,” Devon continues. “Whenever they see him, they wave and say, ‘Hey, Jack.’ That was part of our goal, too — we wanted to help him build friendships without making it feel forced. We wanted him to have friends to hang out with. And now it’s just become a natural thing for the kids to say hi.”

Then, one day just before Jack turned 1, Kimberly remembers Devon opening his laptop and coming across a video on YouTube. It featured an 18-year-old boy with Down syndrome from Southern California. In the video, the boy filmed a “day in the life” for his senior project. He shared his daily routine — waking up in the morning, making his own smoothie for breakfast and riding his bike to the local YMCA.

“I remember sitting there watching that video and I just fell in love with this guy. I didn’t even know him, but I fell in love with him. And I thought, if our Jack’s life can be anything like his, then everything’s going to be okay. There’s nothing I need to worry about,” Kimberly recalls. “And now, with our social media taking off, I thought, this is so amazing because we get to be that glimpse of hope for other people.”

Devon DowDell handing his son Jack DowDell a kickball.Kimberly DowDell

As for Jack’s future, the parents hope that he continues to grow up in a world where he’s accepted and included. Kimberly and Devon have also created some small businesses on the side, and hope he will run them someday.

“There’s so many possibilities out there,” Kimberly says. “Jack would really like to go to college. He’s watched his older siblings go to college, and he talks about going to college someday.”

“He also really wants to get married,” she adds. “He is obsessed with girls these days and talks about getting married. We’re just here to support him with whatever his heart desires.”

source: people.com