BOARD: Kathy Downes

Kathy Downes, Founder of Bright Tomorrows Child Advocacy Center in Pocatello, ID, has a passion and drive to positively impact those who are hurting and traumatized in her community. She recognizes the great value of working together with others and seeing the strengths and possibilities in each and every person. In 2003, Kathy, along with so many amazing individual and professional community members, and the support of National Children's Alliance, founded the Child Advocacy Center in Pocatello.

Currently, Kathy and her extraordinary husband and partner of more than thirty one years, Jim Downes, are enjoying retirement. They are spending valuable time with their two daughters and their partners, one granddaughter, and extended family and dear friends, as well as investing their time in philanthropic efforts in their community and church family.

During Kathy's thirty year career as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Non-profit Director, she was blessed by thousands of children and their parents, dedicated public servants, and beloved staff and colleagues; coming alongside and journeying together for positive change in individual lives as well as the community as a whole. She worked with the child protection response team in Pocatello in the early 2000's to change the way child abuse interviews and investigations were conducted in Southeastern Idaho, creating a safe and supportive system with this team. In 2007, Kathy came together with so many gifted and giving community members to build a new facility for the Child Advocacy Center that was debt free and located on city property. Kathy with her dear friend, Lynn Eddleman, with whom she founded the Child Advocacy Center, significantly grew the budget and staffing of the center over the more than 20 years of their leadership. In the last several years of her career, Kathy worked as the Director of the Idaho Network of Children's Advocacy Centers, helping and supporting Idaho communities to start and sustain Children's Advocacy Centers, working closely with the cities of Rexburg and Coeur d'Alene as they began their centers.

When Kathy first learned about Friends of the Children, she was struck by the strengths based, hope inspiring, life-changing values and mission of this program, and she is so excited to be involved with the newly created Chapter of Friends of the Children in Eastern Idaho. "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." Helen Keller