Today we’d like to introduce you to Cara Mearns-Thompson.
Cara, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The story of The Grief Club of Minnesota began long before the organization itself existed. For its founders, Sarah Kroenke and Cara Mearns-Thompson, the work grew out of deeply personal experiences with the death of significant family members at a young age. Both remember what it felt like to be children and teenagers navigating grief without a place where their feelings could be spoken aloud or understood by others who had lived something similar. Their grief and experiences stayed with them and quietly shaped the direction of their lives, ultimately leading towards careers supporting others through grief.
Together, Sarah and Cara became licensed mental health counselors and spent decades working in the field of death, dying, and bereavement, with a special expertise in young grieving families. Across nearly 55 combined years in hospice care, schools, private practice, and crisis response, they supported families facing situations that many people don’t even want to imagine like the death of a child, or the death of a parent with young children/ teens. Again and again, they witnessed the same reality for many of these families, they were often left without consistent, specialized, professional grief support during one of the most difficult times of their lives.
Through national speaking and visits to grief centers across the country, they saw what was possible when spaces were intentionally created for healing. They returned home knowing that Minnesota needed something similar. From that vision, and from their own lived experiences, The Grief Club of Minnesota was born: a place where grief is not something people have to carry alone, but something they can move through with professional support, compassion, and community.
Both Cara and Sarah bring their personal stories alongside decades of professional expertise. That combination allows them to approach grief support with both clinical depth and genuine compassion. Together, they set out to build the place they wish had existed when they were younger. What began as an idea has grown into a trusted resource serving hundreds of families across Minnesota.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Building The Grief Club of Minnesota has been incredibly meaningful work, but there have been a few bumps in the road. In many ways, the organization was born during one of the most challenging times imaginable, the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when death and uncertainty were all around us, starting a new nonprofit required flexibility, creativity, and a great deal of resilience.
Another challenge has been that grief and death are still topics many people feel uncomfortable talking about. As a society, we often avoid conversations about death, even though it is something every family will experience at some point. Part of our work has been gently shifting that viewpoint, and helping people understand that talking about their grief is not only important, but deeply healing.
Like many nonprofit founders, we also faced the practical challenges of starting and sustaining an organization from the ground up. Building a nonprofit requires determination, strong partnerships, and the willingness to keep going even when resources are limited. From the beginning, The Grief Club of Minnesota was created with a no-cost model so that families could access professional support regardless of their financial situation. That commitment is central to our mission, but it also means we invest a large amount of time into philanthropic relationships, and grants to sustain the work.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Grief Club of Minnesota?
The Grief Club of Minnesota is a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to creating a compassionate, healing space where grieving children, teens, young adults, and families can find connection, share their experiences, and heal. Serving families across Minnesota, we offer specialized, developmentally responsive grief care through individual and family counseling, peer-based support groups, camps, crisis support, special events, and community education. Our services incorporate multiple modalities of grief expression and are delivered exclusively by licensed mental health professionals at no cost to clients.
We serve families impacted by death, including: Children, teens, and young adults who have experienced the death of a parent or sibling,
adults who have experienced the death of a child age 25 and under, and adults who have experienced the death of a spouse or significant other while parenting children age 25 and under.
What makes it unique is its whole-family approach. When someone dies, the entire family is affected. By supporting children, parents, and caregivers together, families are able to move through grief in healthier and more connected ways.
Grief and mental health are deeply connected. When grief is unsupported, it can significantly impact emotional well-being—especially for young people.
Nationally, 1 in 11 children in the United States will experience the death of a parent or sibling before adulthood. In Minnesota, that equals an estimated 92,000 children by age 18, rising to 221,000 by age 25.
Without support, these experiences can lead to long-term challenges. With the right care, children and families can develop coping skills, and find a path forward.
The Grief Club of Minnesota was created to change what support looks like after someone dies.
It provides individual and family counseling, peer support groups, family programming, camps, crisis response, and community education for children, teens, young adults, and caregivers. Every service is led by licensed mental health professionals with deep expertise in grief and trauma.
But what truly sets The Grief Club apart is this:
There is no cost to families.
They do not bill insurance.
By removing financial barriers, families can access care immediately—without delay, without paperwork, without added stress in the middle of grief.
And families feel that difference.
“For me and my four kids to receive grief counseling at no cost is truly remarkable and life-changing—life-saving, really. I don‘t know how we would be functioning without The Grief Club’s unending support and compassion.”
— Katie, widow and mom of four
What makes you happy?
What makes me happiest is witnessing the moments when families begin to find connection with one another. Grief has a way of making people feel alone. At The Grief Club of Minnesota, some of the most powerful moments happen when that sense of isolation begins to soften, when someone realizes they are others who truly “get it”. In a community-centered space, families are able to meet others who may not understand their exact pain, but they understand the multifaceted emotions in grief.
Having a space where there is a comfort level in sharing stories about the person who died, and feeling seen in their experience in a way that often doesn’t happen elsewhere is powerful.
That sense of belonging is at the heart of everything we offer. Being able to witness the impact of The Grief Club of Minnesota’s mission is what brings me the greatest sense of happiness and purpose in this work.
Pricing:
- A Model That Removes Barriers to Care The Grief Club of Minnesota was created to change what support looks like after someone dies. It provides individual and family counseling, peer support groups, family programming, camps, crisis response, and community education for children, teens, young adults, and caregivers. Every service is led by licensed mental health professionals with deep expertise in grief and trauma. But what truly sets The Grief Club apart is this: There is no cost to families. They do not bill insurance. By removing financial barriers, families can access care immediately—without delay, without paperwork, without added stress in the middle of grief. And families feel that difference. “For me and my four kids to receive grief counseling at no cost is truly remarkable and life-changing—life-saving, really. I don‘t know how we would be functioning without The Grief Club’s unending support and compassion.” — Katie, widow and mom of four
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.griefclubmn.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griefclubmn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griefclubmn
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-grief-club-of-minnesota
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thegriefclubmn2466
