How Thumbs Up got Started

Jody Kreuser is one of the Co-Founders of Thumbs Up.
Thumbs Up was founded in 2014 by several community members after losing loved ones to suicide. The initial organization started with a 5K memorial run to remember and honor those who had died by suicide and to hopefully help prevent suicides.
In 2020, the organization did strategic planning to consider hiring staff. Katie Shatusky became the first employee in March of 2021. Since then, Thumbs Up has created nine programs. Everything from our teen after-school program for middle and high school students to our referral assistance program that helps people pay for counseling. We also do bereavement outreach and Cheer Bags, which are like little mental health toolkits with resources in them. We partner with school districts all over Minnesota to bring Cheer Bags, Nana's Calming Corner Spaces, and Teen Outreach Events, and we also help fund youth-led suicide prevention programs in middle and high schools.
We currently have three full-time and one part-time employee. We have two after-school locations: one in Elk River and the other in Rogers. Our 2024 goal is to create a Chapters Program so that we can reach even more people.
The Thumbs Up name originated from the Co-Founders' grandfather, Bob Schmit. He used a thumbs-up to show his excitement when he was around his grandchildren. He was always there with a big thumbs up waiting for them to arrive at her grandparents' home, and he was always there with a big thumbs up when they left.