SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — It all started with a cellphone and a dream,” said Jason Peters, CEO and president of Sheboygan nonprofit Never Give Up.
His brother David founded the Facebook support group during the pandemic in hopes of helping people through hard times.
"We give help to the hopeless…virtually,” Jason explained. “I look at NGU as a buffet of experience… Anxiety, depression, recovery, cancer, divorce…we do it all."
David struggled with addiction for most of his life. He ended up in prison because of it.
But in an effort to turn his life around, he started NGU, quickly growing its profile.
"I was like, 'Oh, you've got something here,'" Jason recalled.
The group now has almost 15,000 members, many in Sheboygan, but others in all 50 states.
Chris Puddy is one of them.
"Several people have gotten sober and changed their lives due to Never Give Up… I being one of them."
Puddy struggled with addiction, which led him to sell drugs. He said he couldn’t hold a steady job until joining Never Give Up.
"I make a post in that group, and I get a reaction or comment every time,” he said. “You know that you have the support."
Puddy has been sober for two and a half years and is now the general manager of the local restaurant Greece E Spoon.
Watch: Sheboygan's 'Never Give Up' group inspires community to dream bigger
"If I wasn't sober, I wouldn't be where I am today."
He said he encourages others in the group through dark times.
"You'll always be invited in. We're like a family."
David was inducted into the Plymouth High School Hall of Fame posthumously in 2021 for his work with NGU and as an advocate for the mental health community — the first felon to make the cut.
He sadly lost his life to the effects of drug use a few months ago.
Now, Jason is leading NGU in his brother's place, hoping to change the world one inspiring Facebook post at a time while keeping David’s legacy alive.
"He always told me I was his hero,” Jason said. “So I have to keep this going."
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