RISE, Inc. was founded in 1965 as the Community Sheltered Workshop of Steuben County. It was a rehabilitation facility for individuals with disabilities and operated in one room of a basement in the Pleasant Lake School.
In 1967, a building in Pleasant Lake, IN was purchased to serve as the workshop for the disabled. Jobs from area industries provided individuals with their first ever paychecks.
By 1973 The workshop had outgrown its Pleasant Lake location and was moved to Angola, IN into the industrial area. This allowed for the growth of our Contract work as well as open doors for many other services. At this time services such as; Activities for Daily Living, Speach Therapy, Special Olympics, Recreation and Drivers Training were added to our progamming.
In 1974 RISE expanded into the Dekalb County area and began offering services including transportation to both Steuben and Dekalb Counties.
In 1977 a grant was awarded through Indian Rehabilitaton Services and our once again outgrown facility was increased by adding 10,500 square feet. More programs became available adding Job Placement Services.
By 1985, the Board of Directors and Administration realized that once again the current location was becoming to small. A grant was awarded by the Indiana Department of Mental Health and in 1988 a new home was built on Wohlert Street.
Today our 29,000 sq ft building serves over 100+ adult individuals with disabilities. We offer many programs and services to prepare and empower persons with disabilities so they can participate fully in the life of the community.
