By Mary Headley 

Sue Prahl is very modest about the many years of volunteer work she has put in for the Niwot community and for Niwot Youth Sports (NYS). She says simply, "It takes volunteer hours to make our kids’ lives better, so I just do it." 
 
Sue began helping out at Niwot Elementary about 25 years ago, serving as a reading tutor, class mom and in other volunteer positions while her three children attended the school. 
  
As her children progressed though school, Sue started volunteering at Niwot High School, serving as the Booster Club president for two years, the Parent Volunteer Committee co-chair for three years and a member of the Accountability Committee for three years. She also served on the NHS Education Foundation since 1994. 
 
Sue’s biggest volunteer effort has always centered on sports. She was a team mom nine times since each of her three children played three sports and recruited Sue each time. 
 
Perhaps because of this experience, Sue was tapped to coach a fifth grade girls’ softball team for NYS. "That was an eye-opening experience and a real challenge," Sue recalled, "since I had only coached my sons until that time." She remembers the pleasure of watching those girls progress through high school. Years later, one of the girls on that team coached Sue’s own daughter in high school.

During the more than 18 years that Sue volunteered for NYS, she started the first recreational volleyball team and coached it for three years, coached several softball and baseball teams, umpired for countless softball and baseball games, and served as the Competitive Girls Basketball Commissioner for three years.

Sue was a natural choice to become the NYS Executive Director three years ago. Even as part-time paid director, she continued to volunteer more hours than was called for in her contract. "I was initially paid for 85 hours a month," Sue said, though she estimates she typically put in closer to 110. 

While disappointed that the NYS tax initiative failed last fall, Sue has high hopes that the community will come through for the current Dream of Fields fund-raiser. "Niwot is a great community, but it has grown a lot over the years, and now it’s lacking the basic things that kids need, like easy access to good playing fields," she stated. "I am truly hoping that everyone in the community steps up to the plate to help raise money this summer—I feel really passionately about this." 

Sue’s other volunteer work includes time spent as a Cub Scout den mother and Brownie leader, Sunday School teacher at Messiah Lutheran Church, and Nostalgia Days’ volunteer. For Niwot’s Nostalgia Days, she organized fun runs, softball games and mud volleyball games. Sue also organized community service trips to the Boulder Homeless Shelter for four years as part of her volunteer work associated with the Niwot High School basketball and volleyball teams. 

Although continuing to do volunteer work, Sue is currently moving more into the business world. Over the past few years, she has started working in the after-school childcare program offered by the Niwot Community School, plus she is a substitute preschool teacher and the Events Manager for sports at Niwot High School. 

Starting this fall, Sue will be the Community School facilitator for three area high schools, in charge of leasing Niwot, Longmont and Silver Creek High Schools to outside groups in the community.

A native of Minnesota, Sue moved to the Longmont area when IBM hired her husband, Marvin. They then moved to Niwot about 25 years ago. Marvin has retired from IBM, but now works at Maxtor. Her oldest son, 32-year-old Kip, works as a business manager for a company in Australia. Her second son, Erich, 28, is a civil engineer in Tucson. Her youngest, 21-year-old daughter Hanni, is a premed student at Concordia University in California. 

Sue is proud of her family and of her contribution to their welfare, although she downplays the many hours she has volunteered. "Volunteer work is just part of your responsibility to your family, the community, and to society in general. " She believes, "If your kids are involved in an activity, you should be, too. The end result can be nothing but satisfying." 

Photo by Mary Headley
Sue Prahl has devoted many years to helping young people through Niwot Youth Sports and other community service volunteer activities