RiverLife: Healing Community by Helping Others

Written by CAROLINE NICHOLSON

Danny Heisner helps with exterior repairs during a #ServeCoweta event.

Imagine you have recently become wheelchair-bound: The house you’ve lived in for years is no longer accessible to you. The stairs you used to climb with ease every night now seem more like a mountain. The push mower in the garage sits unused, and the gutters you procrastinated cleaning are now unreachable. Your family doesn’t live nearby, so you have no idea how you will navigate this new life that’s been thrown at you.

Unfortunately, many people in our community face these types of challenges on a daily basis.

Recognizing the need in Coweta County for help with such challenges, Bill and Melanie Reeves left their careers as pastors at Newnan First United Methodist Church to establish RiverLife in 2015.

From the start, the couple created a two-fold mission. First, by matching local volunteers with those seeking help, they sought to fill needs identified in the community for help with certain tasks like yard cleanup, exterior home repairs, and the building of wheelchair ramps.

In addition, they connected volunteers with other nonprofit organizations in the community whose work better suits their passions.

“Lots of people want to volunteer, but they don’t know where to start,” says Melanie. “We just really saw a need for making those connections between the people who are in need and the people who want to serve.”

As the couple found in the past eight years of work, this two-fold mission has allowed them to change numerous more lives than they would have been able to alone.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, RiverLife organized a response team dedicated specifically to the elderly and disabled members of the community. With this team, they regularly call to check on clients and delivered food and supplies as needed.

Along with offering help with household repairs, RiverLife also actively assists those affected by natural disasters. In March 2021, Newnan was hit by an EF-4 tornado. In response, RiverLife and other local nonprofits sprang into action.

During this trying time, RiverLife gathered 3,900 volunteers to make repairs to about 300 different properties in Coweta County, according to Melanie, who estimates that their volunteers have put in close to 30,000 hours of service in the two years since the tornado.

After helping with the Newnan tornado reconstruction, RiverLife established a disaster response team that enables them to help coordinate efforts immediately after natural disasters.

RiverLife volunteers, while often from Coweta County and surrounding areas, also travel from other states on mission trips. A group from Pisgah Lutheran Church in South Carolina traveled here last summer to help RiverLife build a wheelchair ramp. During their time of service, they worked in Newnan for three days. 

The impact of RiverLife on the community is measured and felt by each individual they serve, like those families who were able to return to their homes after the tornado destroyed everything, according to Melanie. She says the nonprofit’s importance is also felt by those who now have working wheelchair ramps or a clean yard with freshly planted flowers.

In some cases, by giving individuals wheelchair ramps, RiverLife and its volunteers give people life-changing access they didn’t have before.

Newnan resident Theresa River can’t say enough about the kindness of volunteers who helped at her house.

“They came and got my entire fence line trimmed and cleaned up,” she says. “They got the exposed wood of my shed primed and replaced my mower blades. It was great! And every one of them is so very friendly. It was a joy and blessing to meet them.”

RiverLife volunteers make strong connections with their clients through their service.

“Of all we do, building relationships with our clients is the most rewarding,” says Melanie. “Many times the people we meet are isolated and feel alone. Having a team of people to check on them helps them feel connected to the community.”

RiverLife volunteers foster these relationships through phone calls, birthday cards and occasional visits, she adds.

Since 2015, RiverLife has mobilized more than 11,000 volunteers assisting more than 3,200 individuals and families with hands-on help, according to Melanie.

She invites those passionate about helping others and looking for a way to start giving to visit the RiverLife website at livetheriverlife.com. NCM