Five young men—sons, husbands, fathers, friends, and neighbours—lost their lives in the 2021 Brooklyn Tower Crane Collapse. This memorial garden exists in their honour and stands as a testament to their lives and the belief that, together, we can all RISE above tragedy.
The RISE Memorial Gardens are open to the entire public and welcome all those looking for a place of peace and calm to remember, reflect, process grief, and exist in a place of solitude that represents the power of community organizing.
We ask that visitors take stewardship of these gardens that belong to all of us and treat the space with the highest level of care and respect. It represents a calm space to pause, sit, and exist in calmness and beauty. Help us honour its purpose by maintaining its tranquillity and preserving it as a sanctuary for all who enter.
Explore RISE Memorial Gardens
Cailen Vilness
Kind, caring, and very loyal individual—his smile and personality were contagious. He was outgoing and always made time for his friends and family.
Eric Stemmer
Eric was a warm, vibrant person full of kindness, teasing, and love. He embraced life with boundless curiosity and energy.
Patrick Stemmer
Patrick showed his love in big and little ways. Every day he would come home excited to play and have adventures with us. He always put us first.
Jared Zook
Jared was a man with a big heart and was known for being compassionate to others. He was always there for his friends and family.
Brad Zawislak
Brad was the greatest. His smile and laughter were larger than life. He valued people and loved his family life with every ounce of his heart.
We Remember
Patrick Stemmer
Patrick showed his love in big and little ways. Every day he would come home excited to play and have adventures with us. He always put us first.
Eric Stemmer
Eric was a warm, vibrant person full of kindness, teasing, and love. He embraced life with boundless curiosity and energy.
Jared Zook
Jared was a man with a big heart and was known for being compassionate to others. He was always there for his friends and family.
Cailen Vilness
Kind, caring, and very loyal individual—his smile and personality were contagious. He was outgoing and always made time for his friends and family.
Brad Zawislak
Brad was the greatest. His smile and laughter were larger than life. He valued people and loved his family life with every ounce of his heart.
The RISE Story
From that initial moment on July 12, 2021, it was abundantly clear that the five men would be deeply missed in our community. A temporary vigil of flowers and safety vests lined the fencing of the construction site for many months following the tragedy. Like all temporary displays, it became worn and eventually had to be removed. On the tragedy's first anniversary, the North Okanagan Labour Council announced a partnership with the City of Kelowna to seek out the future site of a permanent memorial. Eventually, the historic Knowles Heritage Park, a site only a kilometre from the Brooklyn Towers, was selected. The existing families and Labour Council representatives created a new non-profit society—the Rise Memorial Foundation—which would oversee the design of a future garden memorial space.
Once the designs were finalized, United Way BC joined the partnership as a fundraising partner and helped launch the formal fundraiser to build the gardens on the two-year anniversary date. Before the next anniversary date in 2024, approximately $150,000 of community donations from trades unions, citizens, small businesses, construction companies, developers, and many others were secured. The Province of BC and City of Kelowna contributed matching and supporting funds to ensure the construction could commence in 2025. On March 11, 2025, fencing went up and construction commenced. Over the next several months, an immense effort was undertaken to build this stunning park on an accelerated timeline. It was to be completed by the fourth anniversary of the tragedy. On the morning of July 12th, the gates opened, and what remains is the park before you today.
Your support, alongside hundreds of other caring individuals, made the RISE Memorial Gardens a reality. Undoubtedly, it will also evolve with time as a key anchor point in the downtown Kelowna landscape, giving everyone a space to grieve, remember, reflect, and be truly present in the power of community.
Help us continue to RISE
As a publicly funded and donation-led non-profit initiative, every effort was made to ensure the maximum amount of dollars went directly to support the actual construction of the gardens. However, to keep the site in the same condition it was at the time of unveiling and to keep the memorial's legacy alive, constant resources need to be allocated to its ongoing maintenance.
Further, the Rise Memorial Foundation needs to retain some contingency monies to fund replacement costs in the unfortunate event of vandalism or damage. Lastly, future projects and our digital assets, like this website, come with a cost.
If you would like to make a contribution to the Rise Memorial Foundation’s endowment, please contact the Board of Directors at contact@risememorial.com.
Thank you to those who helped
Compensation Employees’ Union (CEU) • David Peter (DnA Irrigation) • UFCW • CUPE Local 5523 • S5 Consulting Ltd. • Norsteel Building Systems Ltd • Mission Creek Golf Club • Beyond Wrapture Day Spa • MoveUP • Twin Creek Media • Modern PURAIR • United Steel Workers (USW) Local 1-423 • Vancouver and District Labour Council (VDLC) • Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) • One 72 Concrete • Central Okanagan Teachers’ Association • Area 27 • Kal-West Mechanical Systems • Kristane Strate (Synergy HR Consulting) • Achim Muller (van der Zalm + Associates) • Anne-Marie Hamilton (Kelowna Rockets) • City of Kelowna • Kelowna Actors Studio • Brock White Construction & National Concrete • B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) • BCGEU Component 3 - Community Social Services • BC Federation of Labour • Smith + Andersen • Ecora Engineering & Resources Group • Klaudia Van Emmerick (Global News) • Working Hands Construction • Sunshine Coast and District Labour Council • Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) • The Province of BC • Keith Pinkoski (City of Kelowna) • Kamloops and District Labour Council • Parkworks • Two Eagles Golf Course • Keith Funk (New Town Services) • Enterprise Flower Studio • Enzo Schober (City of Kelowna) • WorkSafeBC • Luis Santos (Canada Safety Equipment Ltd) • United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1518 • Maxine Dehart (Ramada Hotels/Business Columnist) • United Way British Columbia (UWBC) • Tim Renneberg (BC Ministry of Labour) • Southern Interior Construction Association (SICA) • Lee Simon (Revelry Food+Music Hub) • Kelowna Pipe Band • Mary Deacon (Castanet) • Les Bellamy • Alan Reid • Patrick Bulmer (The Daily Courier) • BC Building Trades • Valley First • Clinton Connell (BC Crane Safety) • Doug Gilchrist (City of Kelowna) • Aaron Pritchett and Jason Parkes • New Westminster & District Labour Council • Union Workers’ Union • Mountain Home Services Ltd. (MHS) • Kelowna Chamber of Commerce • Austin Alentejano (Troika Developments) • Jay Pleggenkuhle (Ecora) • Neal Adolph (UWBC) • Kinsmen Club of Kelowna • Roofing Contractors Association of BC (RCABC) • North Okanagan Labour Council (NOLC) • Rachel Allan (UWBC) • Tanya Reid (Ecora/MHS) • Rory Browne (MHS) • CUPE 338 • Wayne Kitt (Ames Tiles & Stone) • Stober Group • Kelly + Lindsay Hutchinson • Adam LaBonte (MHS) • Deina Albrecht • Tyler Baer (Grizzly Metal Fabrication) • Dan Favell (The Trophy Den) • James Plumpton (Horizon Electric Inc) • Ken and Brenda Anderson • RISE Memorial Foundation • CDM2 Lightworks • Specimen Trees • Bylands Nursery • Xen Nursery • Foxglove Nursery • Bron & Sons Nursery • Dogwood Nursery • Okanagan Survey & Design Ltd. (OSDC) • City Green • Allan Tower (Sierra Landscaping) • Sunbelt Rentals • Westridge Quarries • Site One Landscape Supply • Belgard • CSC – Caleb Stevens Construction • CORE Geomatics • Interior Testing Services Ltd. • Advanced Power Lines – HydroVac • Webster Works – tile installation • BURNCO • Rona • An-mar Concrete Pumping • Armada Steel Corp • TnZ Reinforcing • R&L Construction • Local Concrete •
• and all the incredible families of the five men •
If we have forgotten any mentions, please excuse our error and know we are immensely thankful for your contribution. We kindly ask that you contact us with this info so that we can add your name.