Our Story

Melissa has always had a passion for helping others.  Not long after she moved to New Bern, North Carolina, with her family in 2001, Melissa Lewis noticed that there was a major need for services for people with cognitive, intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) (like Autism or Down Syndrome), people struggling with mental health issues (like depression, anxiety, and PTSD), and people dealing with substance use/abuse challenges, and their families.  Not much was available in the area, and what was available, either wasn’t of good quality, or had a waiting list a mile long, and/or there was some other reason why people were not ale to get the services they needed for their family members or themselves.  After much thought, research, hard work, education, dedication, and prayer, in 2009, she founded Creekside Recreational Therapy Services to meet some of those needs and to help make a difference in people’s lives.  Over the years, we have grown and been able to serve people from more than 7 different counties in Central and Eastern North Carolina.  We have only been able to do this with the generous support of our donors, partners, and volunteers.  In 2020, we changed our name to Creekside Recreational Therapy & Wellness, to better include all of the ways we are helping to meet the needs of the people we serve. 

We started out very small.  Since 2009, Melissa (along with a small team of volunteers) has partnered with other local nonprofit organizations and churches to provide a Breakfast with Santa and an Inclusive Easter Egg Hunt for people of all ages who have special needs (and their families).  Melissa also facilitates Sibshops, which are workshops providing peer support to children & teens who have siblings with special needs. 

In addition to providing programs and services, Melissa has always focused on helping people.  If she was not able to provide a program or service that someone needed, she is always willing to go the extra mile to connect the person (or their family member) to the appropriate resources or people that could meet their needs.

Over the years, we have grown a little bit, but still remember our humble beginnings.  Some of the programs and activities we have added and then had to stop for various reasons (mainly funding, hurricanes, and viruses).  Other programs and services we have added have grown from small groups to very large groups, like the Breakfast with Santa and the Inclusive Easter Egg Hunt (*LINKS*).  As a Licensed Recreational Therapist, and a Certified Peer Support Specialist, Melissa also teaches and facilitates classes and groups focused on/centered around wellness and health, peer support, and coping strategies, among other topics.  

In 2020, we officially changed our name to Creekside Recreational Therapy & Wellness (Creekside RTW), to include the additional programs and services we are providing.  

Currently, Creekside RTW serves people from more than 16 counties throughout eastern and central NC.