Fair warning: the Thumbs Up 5K has been known to cause unexpected feelings of community spirit. Consult your calendar immediately.
On September 19th, families across Maple Grove will lace up their shoes for a 5K that delivers on two things most events can only promise one of: a genuinely good time and a genuinely good cause. We’re talking kids crossing finish lines like they just qualified for the Olympics. Strollers navigating the course with surprising aggression. Neighbors cheering for complete strangers. Cowbells. You know the vibe — and if you don’t, this is the year to find out.
But here’s what’s underneath all of it.
Thumbs Up is a mental health nonprofit with a refreshingly unglamorous superpower: showing up before things fall apart. School programs. Community training. Youth peer-support groups. Senior services. Not because crises don’t happen — but because the more people who know the warning signs, know how to talk about it, and know they’re not alone, the fewer crises do.
Executive Director Katie Shatusky calls it simply: “accessible mental health education and peer support so children, families, and communities can recognize warning signs, get help early, and build emotional resilience.”
This year’s theme is CommUNITY — a word they clearly enjoyed inventing, and mean completely.
Race proceeds fund all of it. So crossing that finish line? You’re doing more than you think.
“If you’re struggling, you’re not alone. Small steps matter. Talk to someone you trust — or call or text 988 any time.”
— Katie Shatusky, Executive Director, Thumbs Up
More at www.thumbsupresources.org
Showing up before things fall apart.