Nadine Machkovech is a certified recovery coach and person in long-term recovery. As an educator on addiction and mental health, she looks to positively disrupt the current landscape for adolescents, especially young women, across the country. Through her unique style of storytelling, Machkovech leaves her audience feeling inspired and motivated; reminding them that they have the choice to utilize their power to help change their world and the world around them. Nadine Machkovech is a certified recovery coach and person in long-term recovery. As an educator on addiction and mental health, she looks to positively disrupt the current landscape for adolescents, especially young women, across the country. Through her unique style of storytelling, Machkovech leaves her audience feeling inspired and motivated; reminding them that they have the choice to utilize their power to help change their world and the world around them. Machkovech has traveled the country, been featured in Forbes, and is often aspired after for her dynamic peer leadership skills. She has created measurable social change while educating students, teachers, professionals, and peers on topics of substance use and misuse, mental health awareness, leadership, and the development of life skills. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

The past year has been amazing! Our team couldn't be more grateful for everyone's support. Thank you for the thousands of youth stories, the middle schools, high schools, community partners, sponsors, the donations that were made and most importantly the lives that we were able to save - TOGETHER. Let's continue to RISE in solidarity to let others know that they are NOT alone and that their story matters! Join the movement by visiting www.weallrisetogether.org Video brought to you by Union Films @ www.weareunionfilms.com

MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY & AWARD CEREMONY HUGE SUCCESS The Rise Together team wants to thank all of our friends and supporters for coming out to this years 5 year anniversary celebration! (Video Credits: https://www.weareunionfilms.com/) Through our passionate storytelling over the past few years, mainly with young people, we have been a part of a paradigm shift by not taking the traditional pathways of prevention programs but rather daring to pave our own way; through perseverance and passion, we continue to be on the forefront of prevention programs in the country. Now we want to start giving this movement back to the people and that started this week with the RISE TOGETHER COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARDS. These awards were created in recognition of outstanding contributions to substance use, mental health prevention, and recovery efforts that have empowered youth and families to leadership, courage, and innovation. The recipients of these awards have worked with our team in several capacities; showing that prevention and recovery are possible. This years winners are... 1. WOW-We Care Charity 2. Chilton High School 3. Senator Tammy Baldwin 4. Wisconsin Voices for Recovery 5. Woodward Communications Please give a round of applause to our award recipients. It is through their hard work and dedication in these areas that we will continue to see growth, change, and saving the lives of our youth. 5 YEAR SPECIAL ADDITION T-SHIRTS available at www.weallrisetogether.org/shop

Nadine Machkovech presenting to Monticello, IL Middle School by sharing her own personal story of recovery while evoking change and inspiration into the community.

Nadine started using drugs as a young teen. her addiction led to a dark path faster than she ever could imagine, eventually turning to pills, then heroin. Nadine, who is celebrating four years of recovery, shares her story with thousands of people to let them know they can .

When we live in a world where secrets and lies are told every day, do we realize how many secrets and lies we tell ourselves? In this fearless and genuine talk, Nadine Machkovech an educator through story-telling shares how even though she’s made many mistakes in her life, she no longer believes that she is one. Listen in to hear how we can rise together to discover the meaning of feeling “good enough.” Video Producer: Union Films Learn more about Rise Together @ www.weallrisetogether.org Or follow us on FB: www.facebook.com/weallrisetogether Twitter: @RiseTogetherWI Instagram: @RiseTogether_Official

RISE TOGETHER, a 501c3 non-profit, was founded in 2013 by nationally recognized storytellers, Anthony Alvarado, Douglas Darby, and Nadine Machkovech. Together, they had a goal: to help save at least one life. RISE TOGETHER exists to ignite a youth-led movement that is helping to SAVE LIVES by encouraging students to stand up and speak out on the issues they care most about: breaking the silence around suicide, bullying, mental illness, drugs, and alcohol. RISE TOGETHER aims to EDUCATE, ENGAGE, and EMPOWER youth primarily through storytelling. Its solution is to provide communities with HIGH-QUALITY educational content, programs, workshops, and training that help build strong advocates and leaders. Its cause is led by a team of dedicated professionals, all of whom have diverse backgrounds, educations, and skillsets. Alongside a national advisory board, RISE TOGETHER is working closely with communities to: • IDENTIFY youth issues through a unique student research approach • PROVIDE resources, mentoring, and support. • INSPIRE youth to ask for help for the very first time • MOTIVATE others to take action and live a “cool healthier lifestyle” RISE TOGETHER focuses on community-level change by implementing unique strategies based on local needs determined by community assessments, surveys, feedback, and evaluating efforts. Since 2014, RISE TOGETHER has surveyed more than 7,000 students across 53+ counties. RISE TOGETHER has collected more than 3,000 testimonies from youth and people who care about them that demonstrate the lifesaving impact of its programs. RISE TOGETHER’s youth research was featured by the ​Federal Bureau of Investigation​; with recommendations by U.S. senators, legislators, teachers, and thousands of students. RISE TOGETHER’s mission has not gone unnoticed. In just five years, the team has traveled over ​250,000+ miles​, taken the stage over ​250+ times​, partnered with over ​150 schools, and educated more than 150,000 people​. RISE TOGETHER’s life-saving work has been recognized by the ​White House​ Office of the National Drug Control Policy, and featured in countless news outlets such as Forbes, Huff Post, USA Today, NPR, PBS, NBC, ABC, CW14, FOX. RISE TOGETHER has created a community where youth can be loved, heard, and inspired to live with hope. THE FUTURE IS YOUTH!