Greene County Thrives

08/31/2026

💜 Today is International Overdose Awareness Day.

On Thursday evening, Greene County came together for a night of remembrance and hope.

A total of 65 people attended Greene County Thrives’ 2026 International Overdose Awareness Day event, where community members, families, partners, and service providers gathered to remember lives lost, support those in recovery, connect people with resources, and take action to prevent future loss.

At the front of the room sat 28 pairs of shoes, each representing one of the 28 lives preliminarily lost to overdose in Greene County in 2025.

Since 2018, 245 people in Greene County have been lost to fatal overdose.

But no pair of shoes — and no number — can tell the whole story of a person’s life.

These were people with names, stories, relationships, hopes, struggles, families, and people who loved them. They were part of our community, and they mattered.

The evening included remarks from Greene County Thrives, music by Clouse and Reaves with John Tolliver, and speakers Tabitha Cox, Matthew Crawford, Payton Murray, and Mikayla Silvers. The program concluded with a candlelight vigil, moment of silence, and call to action from Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison.

Our community resource partners were also present throughout the evening to connect attendees with prevention, treatment, recovery, mental health, peer support, transportation, family support, and other services.

During the event, 56 naloxone kits were distributed into our community.

That matters.

Every life we can protect matters.
Every person we can connect to help matters.
Every family we can support matters.

This year marks 25 years of International Overdose Awareness Day, with the theme:

💜 25 Years On. Still Needed.

We have made progress, but our work is not finished.

Today, we remember those we have lost.
We honor the people who love and miss them.
We support those in recovery.
We stand beside those who are still struggling.
And we continue working to prevent the next loss.

For the 28 lives represented by those shoes, for the 245 lives lost since 2018, and for every life we still have the opportunity to protect —

we remember, we support, and we act.

A heartfelt thank you to our speakers, musicians, sponsors, volunteers, community partners, families, and everyone who joined us.

💜 25 Years On. Still Needed.

08/28/2026

Can anyone that took pictures last night at IOAD please send them to us? We would love to share them all!

08/28/2026

📢 We’re Hiring!

Greene County Thrives is seeking a full-time DFC Project Coordinator to help support youth substance use prevention efforts throughout Greene County.

📍 Greeneville, TN
💼 Full-time position

👉 View the full job description and application information:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cWeesSUriaoDAbHJ22cEaMTT8voOxIyK/view?usp=sharing

Applications will be reviewed as received until the position is filled.

08/27/2026

08/27/2026

We are here setting up for this afternoon. Don’t forget to come out to the Greene County Fairgrounds this afternoon. Resource tables and free pizza start at 5pm with the program starting at 6pm. Share this post, come out, invite a friend!

08/25/2026

🎉 BIG NEWS for Greene County Thrives! 🎉

We’re proud to celebrate our Assistant Director, Christina Matthews, on becoming a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS)!

Peer support brings something incredibly valuable to this work: the ability to connect with people through lived experience, hope, understanding, and the belief that recovery is possible.

Christina’s certification strengthens the work Greene County Thrives is doing across prevention, recovery, and response- giving us another powerful way to support individuals and families in our community.

Please help us congratulate Christina on this accomplishment! 💚

08/20/2026

💦 What a Night at the Prevention Pool Party! 💚

We welcomed 160 people to our Annual Prevention Pool Party on August 1st, and we are so thankful to everyone who came out and spent the evening with us!

A huge thank-you to the organizations and partners who joined us to connect families with valuable community resources:

🤝 Isaiah 117 House
🤝 Greene County Schools’ Family Resource Center
🤝 Greene County Health Department
🤝 Tennessee Department of Health
🤝 Healthy Transitions with Frontier Health
🤝 Freedom Peer Support with Frontier Health
🤝 Our Youth IMPACT Team members
🎵 DJ Snapper

Thank you to the Greene County Recreation Department for allowing us to use the pool and helping make this event possible.

🥤 A special thank-you to Marathon for once again donating drinks and ice for everyone!

🎁 We are also incredibly grateful to the businesses and community members who donated prizes and giveaways for our families:

Broyles Feed Store & Emporium • Chick-fil-A Greeneville • Jersey Mike’s Greeneville • Iris Books & Coffee • Greeneville Flyboys • Hair & More • Cindy Partin • Creamy Cup • Funny Farm • Niswonger Performing Arts Center • Pelican SnoBalls • Lost Boy’s Barber Shop • MECO • Gifts for Kids • Rebel Fork Kitchen

Your generosity helped make the evening even more special!

Most of all, thank you to every family who came out and joined us. Events like this are about more than a night at the pool—they give families an opportunity to spend time together, connect with community resources, and see prevention in action through positive experiences and relationships.

It takes a lot of people working together to make an event like this happen, and we are grateful for every sponsor, partner, volunteer, donor, resource provider, and helping hand behind the scenes.

If we accidentally missed anyone in this thank-you, please know that we truly appreciate everyone who helped make the 2026 Prevention Pool Party a success. 💚

160 people. One community. A great night of prevention, connection, and family fun!

08/19/2026

💜 Proud to Represent Greene County Thrives 💜

On Monday night, our Prevention Coordinator, Beth Tarlton, and Youth Impact Team member and Youth Sector Representative, Bentley Partin, represented Greene County Thrives at the Greene County Commission meeting as they accepted a proclamation recognizing International Overdose Awareness Day.

We are incredibly proud of both Beth and Bentley for representing our organization and the important work of prevention in our community. While Lynn and Christina were out of town, Bentley stepped up alongside Beth to make sure Greene County Thrives was represented — and we couldn’t be more grateful. 💜

A special thank-you to Greene County Mayor Kevin Morrison and the Greene County Commission for recognizing International Overdose Awareness Day and supporting efforts to prevent substance misuse, raise awareness, and save lives.

And the celebration continues! 💜 Join us for our International Overdose Awareness Day Community Event on August 27 at 5:00 PM at the Greene County Fairgrounds. The event will be held indoors, and everyone is welcome.

Come help us remember those we’ve lost, honor those in recovery, support those who are struggling, and stand together as a community for prevention and hope.

Together, we remember. Together, we raise awareness. Together, we prevent. 💜