Laurie Johnson-Wade is the co-founder of Lost Dreams Awakening (LDA), a recovery community organization in New Kensington, and a leader in western Pennsylvania and beyond.
A New Kensington native, Laurie recognized the need for a supportive organization in her community, and in 2014, Laurie and her husband VonZell made the bold decision to create LDA. Since then, the national advocacy organization Faces and Voices of Recovery has pointed to LDA as a leader in its field. In 2017, Laurie was invited to the White House to advise the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy on the importance of peer recovery support.
LDA strives to address the whole person and as such, offers recovery meetings, family support, peer recovery support education and empowerment, and just a positive gathering space for anyone who has been impacted by substance use disorder. LDA has placed a big emphasis on the family unit, and has made it a priority to provide support to families who have lost loved ones to overdose.
Laurie was nominated by her colleagues at LDA, who said, “Laurie thinks outside the box and she honors and welcomes all pathways to recovery.”
Another person put it even more simply. She said, “Laurie GETS IT DONE.”