LAURI BURNS
FOUNDER
THE TEEN PROJECT
WHY: Launched nonprofit organization The Teen Project in 2007, which helps young women who have survived human trafficking and homelessness by providing intensive treatment, sobriety, psychotherapy and higher education.
IN THE NEWS: Published “Notes to George; the Whisper” this year. Was the plenary speaker at the 2025 Joint Meeting on Youth Prevention, a conference about drug abuse among young people, in Baltimore.
NOTABLE: Launched Vera’s Sanctuary, the only licensed residential drug treatment site in OC for human trafficking victims, in 2018. Favorite subjects in elementary school were math and English.
QUOTABLE: “One day I received a suggestion from an elderly man in my sobriety meeting that would change the course of my life forever. He said, in a thick New York accent, ‘Look, you gotta learn to turn it over. You can’t keep praying and den takin it back. It don’t work dat way. Get a box, any box. Get paper. Den write down all da crap dat keeps you up at night. Each ding on a different piece of paper and shove it in da box and shut the lid. Once it’s in da box, let it go, da big guy’s got it. If you keep thinking about it, you gotta take it outta da box. If it’s His, leave it alone, stop thinking, and let him handle it.’” —Leader Board
