Carson's Cause

05/25/2026

Twelve days. That's how long until we gather at the starting line for our 2026 Buffalo Days Run 4A Cause. We're getting super excited for the big day, and we just found out T-shirt orders aren't due until May 26. That means if you missed our May 22 signup deadline for guaranteed shirt sizes, you can still register and get our signature Buffalo Days neon colored race shirt. We're so grateful to work with our talented friends at Print Express in Luverne. Register here:

The Buffalo Days Run 4A Cause is on Saturday June 6, 2026. It includes the following events: Buffalo Days Run 4A Cause 5K and Buffalo Days Run 4A Cause 1-mile.

05/22/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This is why we care.

05/14/2026

THIS. Is WHAT we DO.
Carson’s Cause made its final stop of the school year in Edgerton Friday for conversations with elementary students about brain health and how we take care of and talk about our brains.

It was a sunny day in May, and the kids were a little squirrely, but they were so engaged and respectful with some very grownup responses and questions. We talked about the difference between sadness and depression, how to recognize struggling brain health in ourselves or others, and things we can do keep our bodies and brains healthy.

Kids know more than we often give them credit for, and our conversations Friday give us hope for tomorrow. Thank you, Edgerton Elementary School for the honor and privilege of allowing us into your classrooms.

*One of our major sponsors is DeBoer Chevrolet in Edgerton, so it was especially rewarding to be in the heart of their service area last week. We so appreciate their support.

05/02/2026

Registrations are starting to come in for our big event, and we're so excited and grateful to see them. People often ask what they can do to help with the fundraiser ... and what we want more than anything is for people to simply JOIN US. Register for the 5K or the 1-mile and be part of our cause. https://runsignup.com/Race/MN/Luverne/BuffaloDaysRunACause We spend all year long normalizing brain health conversations with children in classrooms and sharing our mission with community groups. The Buffalo Days Run 4A Cause is our time to have fun. Carson's birthday is June 4 (he would have been 25 this year), and he grew up loving Buffalo Days and selecting birthday gifts at Arts in the Park. When we see happy, smiling faces gathered at the starting line and wearing our T-shirts later on — it's truly gratifying and heartwarming. See you on June 6! https://www.facebook.com/share/1Cktbeiw9b/.

05/01/2026

Carson‘s Cause had the distinct honor of visiting with fifth graders in the Pipestone Elementary School this afternoon, and we are so grateful for the meaningful conversation with these very attentive students. We read the book, “Flicker of Hope,” by children’s author and clinical counselor Julia Cook, which follows the story of a young candle whose flame is nearly stuffed out by the dark clouds of life stresses. We talked about caring for our health and keeping our brains, healthy, and we talked about warning signs of brain health that might be struggling. The little candle in the story gets help from a “hope builder” and learns that she too can be a hope builder for others. Likewise, we talked with fifth graders about asking for help when we need it and being hope builders for others who might be struggling. Thank you so very much, Pipestone Elementary students and staff, for another great Carson’s Cause session. Be well, everyone.

04/09/2026

We are so excited to have visited with Ellsworth Elementary students late in March. These students and staff were so welcoming and sincere, and we truly felt a connection with the children we had the privilege of meeting with. We met with grades K-5 and talked about brain health — how we can take responsibility for keeping our brains healthy and how we can recognize when its time to ask for help if our brain health is struggling. We now pray that these young souls take the message with them on their journey to growing up. Thanks especially to Anne Shelton for her personal invitation and for coordinating our visit. It was an honor.

02/15/2026

We were thrilled to have been invited to the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton School District last week to introduce our brain health messaging and deliver children's books to fourth- and fifth-grade students there. The kids were soooo respectful, and we had some really meaningful discussion about how to take care of our brain health. R-T-R paraprofessional Chelsey Steinwand coordinated the Carson's Cause visit to occur on Feb. 12, which was her mom's heaven-versary. We are so sorry for your loss, Chelsey, and we're proud to work alongside you to improve brain health conversations to prevent loss for others. Please invite us back again next year!

02/12/2026

We were so honored to be the beneficiary of this awesome program. Thanks so much, Cattnach Insurance, and thank you to everyone who participated. 

We are pleased to have presented our first referral program check to Carson's Cause today! Thank you to our clients for your role in helping us make a positive community impact.

11/05/2025

Last week was a big week for the students in Luverne Elementary School and HBC Patriots and for the actors with CLIMB Theatre.
CLIMB (Creative Learning Ideas for the Mind and Body) is a non-profit company that uses live, interactive theater to teach social-emotional skills and other important lessons to young people and communities. Carson's Cause worked with the CLIMB team to write a script specifically for encouraging practical brain health dialogue, and these two young actors really nailed the message. We're grateful for their talents and also for the counseling staff in Luverne ( Atkinson-Smeins) and at H-BC ( Sandbulte) and the teachers for accommodating our message in the classrooms. The students were awesome and responsive, and we really hope the lessons resonate with them.

10/25/2025

Wednesday was a big day for Carson’s Cause and the students we connected with in the Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School. In each of the classrooms at all grade levels we read children’s books that promote practical conversations about brain health. Then, we talked about our brains — that they are part of our overall health, like our teeth, our stomachs, our lungs, etc. And we discussed that we need to take care of our brains and our whole bodies to stay healthy (proper sleep, nutrition, water, etc.) Finally, we talked about how we might recognize brain health ailments (like chronic sadness, anger, apathy, etc.) in ourselves and others and to seek help if necessary. We wouldn’t ignore a broken leg, obviously, and ailing brain health can be just as serious. The books went home with the students (a gift from Carson’s Cause) who were encouraged to read them with their family members. We were grateful to have had the opportunity to visit with these H-BC students, who were so respectful and attentive. We pray that our message resonated with them and that they’ll know how to talk about and care for their brains as they continue growing.