Woman Behind 'Bri's Lodge' Received Prestigious Honor

Some people change a community by building something new. Others change it simply by being there when someone needs them most.

This year’s Central Minnesota Changemaker is someone I have known for many years, and I can't think of a more fitting person to receive this honor.

THE CHANGEMAKER AWARD 2026

Tami Kruzel, the woman behind Bri’s Lodge, has been named the 2026 Changemaker.

While the award recognizes Tami's work for people throughout Central Minnesota, I think the real story is what happened after the worst thing imaginable happened to her.

Tami lost her daughter, BriAnna, unexpectedly in 2013. BriAnna was just 18 years old. That loss changed Tami's life forever.

For years, Tami has been very open about the darkness that followed. She has talked about how difficult it was to accept help from the people around her and how easy it was to pull away from family and friends while trying to figure out how to live with a loss that didn't make sense.

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LIFE HAS A WAY OF CHANGING YOU

Then something changed.

In 2018, Tami and her husband Randy were invited to Faith's Lodge in Wisconsin, a place created to support families who had lost a child. They spent several days with other parents who understood their pain. There were conversations, healing activities, time outdoors, meals, support, and, perhaps most importantly, people who understood.

Tami came home with a different kind of hope. She realized Central Minnesota needed something like this. That idea eventually became 'Bri's Lodge'.

WWBD TURNS INTO 'BRI'S LODGE'

What started as 'What Would Bri Do' has continued to grow and evolve into 'Bri's Lodge', a place focused on helping people navigate grief and loss. The organization now offers grief companioning, support groups, youth programming, educational workshops, and other opportunities designed to help people find connection and hope.

The mission is simple: No one should grieve alone.

I have watched Tami work on this for years, and one thing that stands out to me is that Bri's Lodge is never really finished; It keeps changing; It keeps evolving and growing to help more and more people, whether it's a young child who just lost their mother, a mother who lost her child, or every heartbreaking loss in between.

Tami Kruzel didn't choose this journey. She didn't ask to become a grief expert. She didn't want to lose her daughter, but she took something that could have completely broken her and used it to create a place where other people could find a little bit of light. And that's what a Changemaker does.

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TAKING EXPERIENCE AND TURNING IT INTO SOMETHING BIGGER

Tami has taken her own experience and turned it into something bigger than herself. She has helped create a community where someone can walk through the door and know some people understand.

Bri's Lodge now serves people experiencing many different kinds of loss, including the loss of a child, spouse or partner, parent, sibling, suicide loss, overdose loss and other devastating circumstances.

And the need continues to grow.

Bri's Lodge reported that it supported more than 400 people in the community during the past year, through its growing collection of programs and services.

A PERSONAL JOURNEY OF HOPE

Tami's work is also deeply personal. Every person who walks into Bri's Lodge is walking into a place created because Tami knows what it feels like to be completely lost in grief.

Today, she is trying to make that journey a little less lonely for everyone else.

The 2026 Changemakers program, presented by St. Cloud Financial Credit Union and its community partners, recognizes people who are making a meaningful difference throughout Central Minnesota. Tami was selected from four finalists and receives the $5,000 Changemaker award.