River's Way

12/18/2025

Rebekah showed up to River’s Way unsure of what to expect—but she left with something powerful: belonging. Through hard work, dedication, encouragement, celebration, and consistent support from staff and friends, she rebuilt her confidence and found the courage to keep moving forward and thrive.

Rebekah's story is the kickoff to River’s Way’s 2025 Annual Giving Campaign, and it’s one we’re proud to share. Your generosity helps create spaces and opportunities where young people with differing abilities can thrive, grow, and contribute to their community.

Read Rebekah’s story here: https://riversway.dm.networkforgood.com/emails/sample-77ef58c7-6500-47e7-8e23-34bf8dc98b30)

and see the impact you create when you support River's Way. We love this quote from Rebekah:

“Don’t let your disability define who you are. And don’t let it limit you.”

12/03/2025

Join us this Friday for River’s Way Holiday Caroling ☃️❄️🎅🏻🎁🎄🦌

Come sing along, spread joy, and get into the holiday spirit with us at Whimsicals in the Bristol Renaissance Building. The program runs from 6:00–7:00pm, with the caroling beginning at 6:30pm. Everyone is welcome!

11/12/2025

Walktober 2025 — what a walk it was! 🚶‍♀️♥️💥
Thank you to everyone who joined us on the track, cheered from the sidelines, volunteered, sponsored, and helped make this celebration of inclusion and movement possible. Every smile, every step, and every high-five reminded us what community looks like in motion.

Walktober is all about inspiring our community to move their bodies more and improve our health, but it’s also about connection. It’s about seeing people of all abilities moving side by side, celebrating each other, and proving that when we come together, we go farther. From the volunteers and organizers, to the families and friends who showed up with heart, we’re grateful for each one of you.

Here’s to walking together—today, tomorrow, and all year long!

10/16/2025

Walktober is a little over a week away...

Matt and Sabrina went on WCYB today to promote the event and invite everyone to join River's Way for our 5th Annual Walktober!

River's Way Walktober event coming up October 25 in Bristol

09/24/2025

🚶‍♀️✨ Walktober is back! ✨🚶‍♂️

Join the River’s Way Game Changers—young adults with differing abilities who inspire over 1,400 students each year to stay active—for a free community walk!

📅 Saturday, October 25 | 9–11 AM

📍 Tennessee Middle School Outdoor Track

Enjoy walking with the Game Changers and our community partners, a dance party, prize giveaway, and more...

Can’t make it to the event? Support us by donating at riversway.org or by sharing this post! 💙

09/15/2025

We are looking to grow our team here at River's Way!

Full job description and details at:
tinyurl.com/RWJOB2025

Email resumes to Matt@riversway.org

09/08/2025

🌸 Support River’s Way with Flowers + Coffee! ☕

Pre-order a $20 bouquet of fresh flowers from the River’s Way garden, paired with a medium drink from !

✨ All proceeds benefit River’s Way programs.

📅 Preorder by Wednesday, Sept. 11

📍 Pickup at Whimsicals on Friday, Sept. 12 | 7:30 AM – 2:00 PM

To Preorder: Stop by Whimsicals any day this week to fill out your preorder form and make your cash donation. Grab a coffee or some food while you're there 😎

Show some love to a friend—or brighten your own day—with flowers + coffee, all while supporting inclusion and community growth 💚

08/30/2025

River's Way had a good morning walk/run at the Bristol Morning Rotary Club Summer's End 5k and Youth Mile.

This event is a great way to kick off Labor Day weekend with fellow community members staying active!

08/18/2025

Sabrina Roberts Trujillo often spent her days staying active, but felt something important was missing—a place where laughter came easily and friendships flourished. She longed for a community where she could truly connect with others. When her mother found River's Way on Facebook, Sabrina decided to give it a try and soon discovered a welcoming community that supported her journey.

Read the full story here:
www.tinyurl.com/sabrina-2025

And consider donating to our Summer Giving Campaign by clicking the link below:
Tinyurl.com/GIVE2RW

07/09/2025

06/28/2025

Summer is in full swing at River's Way! Youth and young adults with differing abilities in our programs are strengthening their minds and bodies through physical activity and making great contributions to their community! Here is a look at some of our activities this summer:

🧑‍🌾 Gardening
🚶🚶‍♀️Walking
🏋️Strength Training and🧘Yoga
🚤Camp Friendship
🙏🏻Community Contributions
🥒🎾Pickelball
 📝Goal Setting

If you've spent any time with River's Way, then you must know about the 🧠Active Beast Mentality. We teach and apply the Active Beast Mentality in all of our programs. In order to be an Active Beast, you must:

1) Stay on task
2) Don't complain 
3) Encourage others

Through the Active Beast lens, our River's Way group is able to stay positive and make the biggest difference in our programs and our Bristol community!

06/21/2025

We'd like to thank the Bristol Tennessee City Schools administrators and staff for volunteering with us on a rainy day and accomplishing so much at our two garden locations! Volunteers built us new raised beds, did some much needed upkeep with our existing beds, mulch, and weeds, and even mounted our original sign that was located at the entrance to our former property on the South Holston River. We couldn't have accomplished these tasks without the support of these wonderful volunteers! 🙏🏻

This event was organized by United Way of Bristol TN & VA for Week of Caring.