About Us

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Updated May 16, 2026

Unity On The Bridge began in 2017 with a small group of individuals and just a couple of tables offering information and recovery resources to people walking across the Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

With the exception of 2020, when the event was paused due to the COVID pandemic, Unity On The Bridge has continued every year at Coolidge Park. 

In its early years, the event grew from that handful of individuals into a gathering of approximately 25 vendors and 200 attendees. One of the original founders moved to Florida in 2020, and another founder retired in 2024.

In 2024, Kelli Webber Cruse, Knox Farmer, and Sammie Hartley took over the planning of Unity On The Bridge. 

That year, they expanded promotion through local media, including an appearance on Let’s Chatt, a Chattanooga morning show, radio spots, and a live remote broadcast from the event by J103. A talent competition with a small cash prize and a post-event motorcycle ride were also added.

As a result, the 2024 event grew to 61 vendors and approximately 600 attendees.

More importantly, that year a gentleman wandered into the event and asked for help getting into treatment. With a couple of phone calls, he was placed in an Uber and transported directly to treatment. That gentleman remains sober to this day.

In 2025, due to the success of the talent competition and the number of contestants, the decision was made to create an additional event called Recovery Rocks, with the tagline “A Preliminary Event for Unity On The Bridge Recovery Fest.”

Media outreach expanded again in 2025 to include appearances on the morning shows of local Channels 3, 9, and 12, with coverage for both events on Channels 3 and 12. Radio promotion also increased, with spots running for two weeks prior to Recovery Rocks and three weeks prior to Unity On The Bridge Recovery Fest. Three stations — J103, Rock 103.7, and US101 — each hosted two-hour live remotes from the event.

The Top 5 Finalists from Recovery Rocks performed at Unity On The Bridge Recovery Fest, with $600 in cash prizes awarded to the winner, first runner-up, and second runner-up. The event also added Kids Cove, reinforcing its commitment to being a family-friendly celebration of recovery and community.

In 2025, we also welcomed partnerships from Georgia, Alabama, and Kentucky, proving that this movement reaches far beyond one city or one state. Unity On The Bridge Recovery Fest featured 114 vendors and more than 1,000 attendees. The exact attendance number is unknown because the event ran out of armbands by noon.

In 2025, three individuals were transported directly from the park to treatment. At least one of those individuals remains active in the recovery community today.

Each year, one question is asked again and again:

“This is a great event, but what do you do the rest of the year?”

After nearly two years of discussion, planning, and vision-building, a plan was put in place to answer that question.

On November 3, 2025, the process began to create Unity Is The Bridge. On November 18, 2025, 501(c)(3) status was awarded. On December 9, 2025, final approval was granted, officially establishing Unity Is The Bridge as a fully approved nonprofit organization in the United States, located in Hamilton County, Tennessee.

Unity Is The Bridge was created to carry the mission beyond one annual event by building year-round connection, recovery support, community engagement, and pathways to hope for individuals and families affected by substance use, mental health challenges, and the barriers that often stand between people and lasting recovery. 

As the event has grown, so have the needs of the communities we serve. 

What began as Unity On The Bridge has become something larger than a single day at the park. To better reflect our expanded mission, regional partnerships, and year-round vision, we are transitioning to a more inclusive and mission-focused name: Unity Is The Bridge.

Do not stand on the sidelines and watch. 

Join us as we continue to grow, build hope, and bring our communities together through recovery, connection, and purpose.