“I burned so many bridges [as an addict]. To have [Rise] trust me … it was crucial. That was the moment I felt encouraged … and empowered.
Miodrag Kovacic, 2025 Dr. Paul Garfinkel Resilience Award

On Dec. 2, we gathered the Rise community to celebrate the outstanding achievements and resilience of Rise clients and volunteers to remarkably inspiring ends.

We would like to thank Anne-Marie Mediwake for hosting the event and leading such a personal and thought-provoking panel discussion. And to the award recipients: thank you for sharing your stories and experiences so candidly.  

Rise empowers individuals with mental health and addiction challenges to become entrepreneurs. We provide access to the tools, capital and other resources they need to develop their skills and build a business. What we see from our award recipients is that these businesses help our clients create suitable work for themselves, which can improve their quality of life and enable them to contribute to their communities in meaningful ways.

We would like to recognize our award sponsor, Scotiabank, for its ongoing support of this important celebration.

Finally, we’d like to thank all of you—our clients, volunteers, partners, and staff. Our collective impact is made possible by your individual contributions, and we couldn’t be more grateful.

Mariam Oyinloye — Rotman Family Entrepreneur of the Year
Miodrag Kovacic — Dr. Paul Garfinkel Resilience Award
Dawn Kloster — Rise Small Business Start-up Award
Stephanie Markakis-Plouffe — Scotiabank Volunteer of the Year Award
Bruce Dewar — Dave Richardson Champion Award

To learn more about our award recipients, visit our Impact Stories page.

Missed the event? Watch it here:

Award Sponsors