Empower 2 Recover Foundation

What Empower 2 Recover Foundation does

Empower 2 Recover Foundation (E2RF / E2R Foundation) is a Canadian non-profit organization founded in 2022 and headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, with operational presence across at least nine Canadian cities. The organization runs the Battle for Recovery live event series, in which lived-experience speakers share personal stories of trauma, mental health, addiction, and recovery on stage. Its stated mission is to raise the voice of recovery across Canada by creating safe, in-person environments for peer connection, hope, and healing. E2R also operates a speakers network, a merchandise shop, a donation program, and tiered community partner/sponsorship packages.

E2R's core product is its live event portfolio, anchored by recurring annual editions such as Regina's Battle for Recovery (#2), Thunder Bay's Battle for Recovery (#3), Kenora's Recovery Day (4th edition), Dryden's Recovery Day (2nd), Fort Frances's Recovery Day (3rd), Lac Seul's "Circle of Hope" Battle for Recovery (#2), Charlottetown's first-ever Battle for Recovery (PEI expansion), and Saskatoon's Battle for Recovery (#3). Events typically run as single-day programs in community venues (e.g., mâmawêyatitân centre in Regina, La Place Rendez-Vous in Fort Frances, Dryden Regional Training and Cultural Centre). The organization is led by Founder and Executive Director Jay Barnard (18 years in recovery, TEDx speaker), Co-Founder Carl Heath (Event Management and International Lead, UK-based), and Co-Founder Brooke Robichaud (Branding). Governance is provided by a board including Chair/Treasurer Jay Barnard, Vice Chair John Rosdobutko, Secretary Chelsea Susan, and directors Daniel Robichaud, Robert Ware, Tom Herstad, and Brianna Wilson.

The foundation is building The GRC Project (Global Recovery Community Online Ecosystem), a digital platform co-created by Jay Barnard and Carl Heath that is scheduled to launch in 2026. The GRC platform is intended to extend E2R's in-person community model online, providing a digital space for recovery community support, and carries a global naming/branding intent. Revenue is generated through event ticket sales, donations via the website, community partner packages (sponsorship), and merchandise. The organization is privately controlled, founder-led, and has not disclosed institutional funding, audited financials, or revenue figures. There is no evidence of AI/ML, API, or SDK-based technology capabilities; the technical footprint is a Wix-hosted website plus the forthcoming GRC community platform.

Name

Empower 2 Recover Foundation

Legal name

Empower 2 Recover Foundation

Website

https://empower2recover.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Empower 2 Recover Foundation is a Canadian non-profit founded in 2022 that hosts Battle for Recovery live events across nine cities, featuring lived-experience speakers sharing stories of mental health, addiction, trauma, and recovery for individuals in recovery seeking peer community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recovery Support Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Recovery community events
• Mental health support
• Addiction recovery programs
• Lived experience speaking
• Nonprofit recovery services

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Event Tickets: Revenue from ticket sales for Battle for Recovery events held across Canada.
2. Donations: Donations accepted through the website to support the mission of raising the voice of recovery across Canada.
3. Partner Packages: Sponsorship and partnership packages available for community partners wanting to support E2R events and mission.
4. Merchandise Shop: Online shop selling E2R merchandise and products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Empower 2 Recover Foundation organizes and hosts live recovery community events across Canada, including the Battle for Recovery series and Recovery Day events, featuring lived-experience speakers sharing stories of trauma, mental health, addiction, and recovery. The foundation also operates online support groups and programs, an E2R Speakers network, and an online merchandise shop. It is building the GRC Project (Global Recovery Community Online Ecosystem), scheduled to launch in 2026, to extend its in-person event model into a digital recovery community platform.

Product overview

Empower 2 Recover Foundation is a single-product organization focused on recovery community events and a forthcoming online ecosystem. The core offering consists of the Empower 2 Recover Live Events, featuring the Battle for Recovery event series in cities across Canada, with a network of E2R Speakers who share lived-experience stories. The organization is developing the GRC Project (Global Recovery Community Online Ecosystem), scheduled to launch in 2026, which will extend their in-person events model into a digital platform for broader community reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The GRC Project - The Global Recovery Community Online Ecosystem: Online platform being built to inspire and empower people on their recovery journey, finding strength in recovery and power through community, overcoming trauma, mental health and addictions

Products and services

• Empower 2 Recover Live Events In-person recovery community events featuring lived-experience speakers who share stories of trauma, mental health, addiction, and recovery; events include the Battle for Recovery series and Recovery Day events held in cities across Canada.
• Battle for Recovery Event Series Signature event series held in Canadian cities (Regina, Thunder Bay, Kenora, Dryden, Fort Frances, Lac Seul, Charlottetown, Saskatoon) featuring live speakers, community connection, and shared recovery stories on trauma, mental health, addiction, and recovery.
• E2R Speakers Network A network of lived-experience speakers available for events who share personal journeys of recovery, mental health challenges, and addiction; includes founders and team members of the E2R Foundation.
• GRC Project (Global Recovery Community Online Ecosystem) An online ecosystem platform scheduled to launch in 2026, designed to inspire and empower people on their recovery journey by providing a digital community space for overcoming trauma, mental health challenges, and addictions; extends the in-person events model into a digital environment.
• E2R Merchandise Shop Online shop selling E2R branded merchandise and products to support the foundation's mission of raising the voice of recovery across Canada.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Heidi and Belinda - The No Matter What Happens ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Onboard since 2024, supporting E2R events across Canada with promotional designs and digital media. Co-founders of The No Matter What Happens Project, in honour of their niece, dedicated to supporting individuals on their journey to recovery. Partnered to create Bridgewater's Battle for Recovery, April 2025.
• Sober Biz CollectiveminorOthers · 1 January 2023Collaborated on website development and branding in 2023. Listed as collaborator in website footer.
• Community Partners (General)coreOthersGrowing community of partners invited to help raise the voice of recovery across Canada. Partner packages available with various support levels.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• The EnergyWize University Of Life: UK-based alternative learning and personal development venture founded by Carl Heath (E2R co-founder); comparable because it shares leadership with E2R and operates in an adjacent lived-experience learning/development space.
• Sober Buzz Collective: Canadian recovery-community brand and events organizer; comparable to E2R for hosting sober events and content-driven community building, and is also a listed collaborator with Empower 2 Recover Foundation.
• HYPE Recovery: Online recovery program previously founded by Jay Barnard (E2R's founder); comparable as a founder-prior recovery initiative that overlaps thematically with E2R's recovery-community mission and potential digital-program roadmap.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Mental Health Association: National Canadian nonprofit providing mental health and addiction programs, education, and advocacy; comparable as a broader incumbent operating in the same mental-health-and-addiction nonprofit space where E2R runs community events.
• Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction: Federally funded Canadian nonprofit providing research, policy, and public engagement on substance use; comparable as a broad incumbent in the Canadian recovery and addiction ecosystem where E2R runs its community events.

Direct peers

• SheRecovers: Nonprofit recovery community that combines in-person events, online support, and lived-experience storytelling; directly comparable to E2R for combining event-based community building with an online recovery ecosystem analogous to the planned GRC platform.
• SMART Recovery: Global nonprofit offering peer-support recovery programs for addiction and mental health; comparable because it organizes mutual-support meetings and community-based recovery engagement similar to E2R's Battle for Recovery events, though SMART focuses on structured facilitation rather than lived-experience stage storytelling.
• Faces & Voices of Recovery: US-based recovery advocacy organization that mobilizes the recovery community through events, storytelling, and public engagement; comparable to E2R for its peer-led, lived-experience model of recovery community organizing and advocacy.
• The No Matter What Happens Project: Recovery-focused community project co-founded by Heidi and Belinda; directly comparable to E2R because it operates as a peer-led recovery storytelling and community-building initiative and is already a formal strategic partner of Empower 2 Recover Foundation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Empower 2 Recover Foundation