River Project Builds A Bridge To Understanding
Story by Melanie Jones
Jesse Worley was devastated when she learned her son had autism. River would never be the boy or grow up to be the man she imagined. To her, with a nonverbal child who avoided not only human touch but also eye contact, the future felt bleak.
Then, one day as she watched her other sons running around outside acting wild, Jesse saw River lying on his back under a tree. Looking up through the leaves, he let out a giggle. Eager to find out what delighted her little boy so much, she stretched out beside him.
The two shared the space under the tree in peaceful silence until the wind began to blow, and River laughed again. Then she saw it. The sun filtered down on the leaves fluttering in the wind, creating a green and gold disco ball effect.
“It was beautiful, and it just made me realize, stepping into his world and letting go of the stresses of life in general,” she says. “It made autism beautiful to me because they recognize simple things that we often overlook.”
That’s the day Jesse realized River’s future could be as bright as the sun dancing on the leaves. Autism means his life will be different, but different doesn’t have to be awful.
Her confidence in River grew, as did her concern about the lack of autism awareness in the community. Over time, that concern led her to establish The River Project.
When River started attending Wood County Special Education Shared Services Arrangement, more than Jesse’s attitude changed. River did, too. “I saw this insane improvement,” Jesse says. The Wood County Special Education SSA is part of a special education cooperative serving five school districts.
Jesse wanted to raise awareness of—and money for—autism and the school. “You see band boosters and football club fundraisers. But their school? Most people didn’t even know it existed,” she says.
With that in mind, Jesse, her mother and her grandmother worked to make blue T-shirts for Autism Awareness Month in 2021. The results were surprising. The trio raised $500 for River’s school. “I was just ecstatic,” Jesse says. “It was the craziest thing to me.”
They sold shirts again in 2022, but something happened in 2023 to make Jesse want to do more. A little boy with autism in a neighboring town went missing. Searchers found the child safe late that night, but Jesse says the incident left its mark. “When that happened, it had an impact on me,” she says. “It ignited something in me.”
Jesse decided to do an off-roading fundraiser. Her stepdad knew some musicians who turned out for the event, and they drew a crowd. “We went from raising $500 for T-shirts to $11,000 from the mudding event,” Jesse says.
The musicians played for free, and kids from the school came and set up booths where they made and sold bracelets and other artwork. “People just showed up, and it was amazing,” Jesse says. The River Project began to grow from there.
In 2024, a popular venue offered to donate its space for a fundraiser, and Jesse and her supporters launched River Jam. The festival attracted musicians willing to play for free. Former “The Voice” contestant Jackson Snelling flew in to perform, and that meant something special to Jesse and families like hers. Jackson has autism, as does his brother.
River doesn’t sit on the sidelines. Jesse says he gets out and dances when the sun starts going down and the heat eases. There’s a silent auction at the end of every event. “Whenever we go up to announce the winners, River always comes with us,” she says. “This past year, he was just cheering and waving at everyone. He loved it.”
They didn’t have to pay the musicians, and again the donations increased. This time River Fest raised $23,000, more than doubling the 2023 total. “Our goal every year is just to raise a dollar more than I made last year,” Jesse says.
Early on, the money went to rebuild the sensory room at River’s school. Now, the money funds other special projects and training at the school. But raising awareness is just as important as raising funds. Since The River Project launched, businesses now donate toys and more every Christmas.
“The awareness it has brought far exceeds the money,” Jesse says. “The money has been great—$51,000 is insane—but the village has just showed up.”
The River Project’s motto is, “It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes an autistic child to raise the consciousness of the village.” And Jesse wants the village to know what people with autism need. “They want to be included and seen,” she says. “They just want to feel valued, and whether they show that they feel that or not, they do deep down.”
For more on the project or to donate, go to theriverprojecttx.com. Keep up with The River Project events and autism news on the nonprofit’s Facebook page.