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This story about River City Inclusive Gym is part of DiverseAbility’s ongoing recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.In an unassuming strip mall in a suburb west of Richmond lies a small but important slice of the community. It’s called River City Inclusive Gym. Their mission is to answer two very important but often neglected needs in the disability community: the need for recreation, exercise and movement; and the need for social opportunities.
Here, children over two years old, teens, and adults, who “happen to have disabilities,” can have a safe space to build muscle mass, improve coordination, and boost confidence while “making friends and having fun” through group gymnastics classes and fitness training.
Participants cannot age out of the program, which is an important point, because finding services for adults with disabilities can be more challenging. Gym members have a wide variety of physical and cognitive disabilities. They receive one-on-one instruction as they work their way through an obstacle course made specifically with their needs and abilities in mind.
But this idea might never have taken off if it weren’t for founder and CEO Mike McGrath seeking opportunities while his nephews were enrolled in gymnastics.
Mike started out in special education. He has been a special education teacher, an instructional assistant, and a recreational assistant, with specialties in working with kids with dyslexia and managing difficult behaviors. However, Mike had left teaching and was tutoring back in 2016 when he first came across the idea of fitness training for the disability community.
While his nephews were participating in their gymnastics class, Mike approached the owner of the gym about offering his tutoring services to students while they waited for classes to begin. After discussing Mike’s credentials, the owner took it a step further and suggested he lead a gymnastics class for children with disabilities.
One of the first things Mike did was observe preschool classes to see how new skills were introduced to students. From sliding to using monkey bars to swinging (and almost everything else children do on the playground), he quickly noticed students often learned new skills best when they received one-on-one instruction. Typically, not having this kind of direct instruction available in a traditional school setting has put kids with disabilities at a social disadvantage early on. They can end up missing out on both physical and social interaction with their peers.
Mike also really liked the obstacle course model because it offers lots of variety with no waiting around. He could design courses where kids could learn skills that are transferrable to the playground, and he could have several people going through the course at one time.
His pilot class took place at that same gym with only four people – three former students and one of his nephews. After six weeks, it was evident that both the parents and kids loved this one-of-a-kind opportunity, and the word spread. His gym and his clientele have been growing ever since.
Two and a half years after they opened, Mike set up RCIG as a 501(c)3 charitable organization to better serve the community. That strategic move has fostered the gym’s growth. They can now accept donations to support their programming. They regularly recruit volunteers who work with the clients and provide individualized interaction and instruction.
In 2021, DiverseAbility ERG donated exercise equipment to River City, and then in April 2022, the organization moved out of the space they were renting from a traditional gymnastics gym and into their own space, allowing them to nearly double the number of clients they could serve. The gym now caters to 166 individuals each week and has almost that many on a waitlist. Mike credits the donated equipment for helping them get started faster in their new space. The gym is now open Monday through Saturday, and multiple classes are held each day. Their new location in a strip mall makes them feel inclusive with the community because of its accessibility to more people.
Each week, Mike and his team redesign the obstacle courses. During each hour-long class, participants work as a group and learn to navigate an overhead bar, walking through foam blocks, a rock-climbing wall, and trampolines, to name a few of the fun activities they do.
Families express a lot of enthusiasm and gratitude for the opportunities the gym has created for their loved ones. “River City Gym has been a game changer for special needs children who have issues getting going or being active,” says Mike Depersis, Manager – Cyber Security Operations. His son Andrew, 14, is part of the RCIG community. “Coach Mike has been able to tailor workouts for my child to help improve strength, confidence, and mobility. Over the last three years, my child has gone from hating being active to asking to go to the gym.”
Samantha Costanzo, daughter of Sal Costanzo, Lead Systems Software Engineer – Mainframe System Administration, has volunteered with River City for several years, helping with the clients and helping write grants for the gym. She is an occupational therapist at Children’s Hospital in Richmond, VA, and she regularly refers her own patients to the gym. “I just love that there’s this opportunity for kids and adults of all abilities to take part in a group fitness program that they otherwise would not be able to join due to physical or cognitive limitations,” Samantha says. “It provides them with a safe space to exercise and socialize with others in a way that helps enhance their strength, endurance, and confidence, which then carries over into all other aspects of their lives.”
Mike and his team invite anyone who would like to be a part of his mission to reach out. “We’re out here serving the community, and we always need volunteers,” he says. If you’re interested in volunteering with a class, please visit RCIG.org and fill out the volunteer form. Volunteers help to provide one-on-one service to every member to make sure they get the most out of the program.
“Teaching was great,” Mike says, “but this is cool because you see an immediate impact within the hour that they’re playing, moving, and exercising.”
River City Inclusive Gym is located in the Tuckahoe Village Shopping Center at 11248 Patterson Ave. Henrico, VA, in the strip mall at the corner of Patterson and Lauderdale in the West End. Visit rcig.org to find out more.
Lunch and Learn with Jacob’s Chance
October 20, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00-11:00 a.m. MT
Hear how and why this organization in the Greater Richmond Metro Area empowers individuals ages 5-35 with disabilities – with a bonus interactive activity.
Living with Purpose: Making the Impossible Possible
October 25, 2:00-3:00 p.m ET / 12:00-1:00 p.m. MT
Chip Romney shouldn’t have survived that accident on his Boy Scout trip, but he did. After waking up from a six-week coma, he had to learn how to walk, talk, and do everything all over again. Hear how he did it and the lessons he wants to share with you.
Register for in-person Chip Romney event in Utah. (Food provided.)
Register for virtual Chip Romney event.
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