the Rise Memorial Gardens, located at its future home of Knowles Heritage Park in Kelowna B.C., is nearing completion of its construction, and will be unveiled to the public at the ceremony on July 12, 2025
This project has taken over 4 years of immense planning, coordination, and effort from countless devoted community members, organizations, and supporters. It was funded by a
combination of municipal, provincial, and private community donations totaling several hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This memorial space will memorialize the memories of the five young men (Cailen Vilness, Jared Zook, Eric Stemmer, Patrick Stemmer, and Brad Zawislak) whose lives were taken away far too soon in the Brooklyn Crane Tower collapse in 2021. This memorial stands to ensure their memories live on, but also offers the community a future space for grieving and healing from the impacts of any workplace accident that may ever occur in the future.
Lastly, it will serve as a stark reminder to all of us of the importance of making a continued commitment to workplace safety each and every day. The unveiling ceremony will commence at 10am in Knowles Heritage Park (865 Bernard Avenue) and lead up to a moment of silence at 10:55am, followed by a few more speakers and the official ribbon cutting around 11:20am. The event is open to the public, with several speakers scheduled, including Mayor Tom Dyas and BC Minister of Labour, Jennifer
Whiteside.
Attendees are encouraged to dress for the weather, but do not need to bring anything as seating and water will be available for the duration of the ceremony.
Those with any questions about the event are encouraged to email the Rise Memorial Foundation at [email protected]
