Who We Are
Everyone Moves Forward.
Rise Calgary carries forward more than 25 years of community trust, built by three legacy agencies — BowWest Community Resource Centre, Sunrise Community Link, and the Southeast Community Resource Centre. Today, we're a trusted leader in poverty reduction and financial empowerment, serving Calgarians from four locations across the city and on Siksika Nation.
Our mission is reducing poverty through economic and social mobility. Our vision, everyone moves forward, drives everything we do.
Our 3-Phase Approach
Rise Calgary supports people in three stages: addressing immediate needs, building stability through coaching and practical strategies, and strengthening long-term independence. By creating breathing room beyond crisis and building on the strengths people already have, our clients gain the tools and confidence to move forward.
Crisis comes first. We help with what's urgent — income, food, and housing — because stability is the foundation everything else is built on.
With coaching grounded in behavioural science, clients build strategies to move beyond crisis, reducing the need for emergency support and building lasting security.
We build on the strengths people already have, growing the tools and independence to be self-sustaining, and to lift their own communities.
Our Story
Rise Calgary is what happens when neighbourhood agencies decide they can do more together than apart.
1999
BowWest Community Resource Centre opens in northwest Calgary
2000
Sunrise Community Link begins serving 18 communities in Greater Forest Lawn
2017
The agencies begin collaborating to serve Calgarians together
2019
Working with United Way's The Social Impact Lab, we explore whether merging would mean better outcomes for Calgarians
2022
Rise Calgary is officially incorporated, uniting BowWest and Sunrise — and launches a pilot partnership with Siksika Nation, bringing free tax filing and benefits navigation to Nation members.
2025
The Southeast Community Resource Centre joins Rise, uniting three legacy agencies
Today
Four locations across Calgary and on Siksika Nation, one mission: everyone moves forward
Our Leadership
Salimah Kassam — Leader
Salimah has spent her career working on the complex, persistent problem of poverty in our communities. Before leading Rise Calgary, she helped launch and build Calgary's poverty reduction plan and Canada's national financial empowerment movement as Manager of the Financial Empowerment Network at United Way of Calgary and Area, and spent five years at Momentum partnering with individuals and families living on low incomes to create positive financial change. She holds a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Calgary, with expertise spanning poverty reduction, asset-building, social housing, and behavioural economics. Outside Rise, she serves on the boards of Downstage Theatre and Cornerstone Youth Centres — a reminder, she says, of the role art plays in solving complex social problems.
Darlene Doskoch — Managing Director
Darlene joined Rise Calgary in 2020 as Financial Empowerment Manager and became Managing Director in 2022. She oversees human resources, fund development, finances, and contract management — and is happiest supporting the team behind the work. Her background spans financial empowerment and supporting people experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges, addictions, and disabilities. At Rise, she led the Taxation and Benefits Community of Practice and helped launch the Talking Taxes pilot, bringing Indigenous-led tax clinics and benefits access to Siksika Nation. She has also served as Canadian Ambassador for Pay It Forward International for over 15 years — and is a wiz behind a camera lens.
Mirza Ali Wasiq — Director of Development
Mirza Ali Wasiq is an executive leader in fund development, program management, and organizational strategy with more than 16 years of experience across nonprofit, international development, and private-sector organizations in Canada and internationally. Throughout his career, he has led multicultural teams, multimillion-dollar donor-funded programs, and complex portfolios advancing economic resilience, refugee support, institutional strengthening, and workforce development.
Mirza holds a PhD Candidate in Business Management and an MBA, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), and Certified International Professional Trainer (CIPT). He also volunteers as a Board Member of the Aga Khan Social Welfare Board for the Prairies, leading its Newcomer Support Portfolio.
Our Impact at a Glance
years serving Calgarians
support interactions last year
registered clients and counting
returned to low-income Calgarians and Siksika Nation members through our tax programs last year
locations across Calgary and on Siksika Nation
“Despite securing a full-time job at a hospital, I struggled to catch up on rental arrears and faced eviction from my home. With assistance from Rise Calgary's Basic Needs Fund, I received support for my financial burden, as well as peace of mind.”
Reports & Accountability
We believe the community that supports us deserves to see exactly what we do with that trust. Our latest reports, audited financials, and governance documents are always available here.