About Us

Inspiring Action - Seeking Change - Saving Lives

Lauri Badura

I began my advocacy in mental health and substance use, when I lost my first-born son, Archie, to an accidental overdose.  This opened my eyes to the gaps for care in the system and the stigma associated with substance use and mental health.  

  • I started SOFA (Saving Others for Archie) to bring awareness to my local community. This quickly led me to advocacy at the national level. I have been involved with the Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues Act (SOFA) for which, Archie puts a face on this important temporary bill.

    Each May during that very week we lost him, I host an event called the Jump For Archie to highlight these issues. The local event lifts the stigma in our community, by bringing first responders, those families victorying recovery, elected officials, and families that have lost loved ones together to recognize the need to bring awareness to mental health and substance use. 

    Through the years, SOFA has engaged in building suicide awareness and substance misuse through trainings and events, Narcan trainings, speaking engagements, round table discussions, being a public radio guest speaker across our state and even testifying for a field hearing for the US Department of Homeland Security.

    These opportunities led me to many collaborations with other community organizations throughout Southeastern Wisconsin: Waukesha County Health and Human Services, NAMI of Waukesha, WisHope, Waukesha Community Foundation, Waukesha Drug Court, Your Choice, Healing Hearts, and many, many more.  In addition, I have served for the past 6 years on the Substance Use Advisory Board of Waukesha County.

    It has been part of my life’s personal passion and mission to end the stigma, expand services, and find ways that our community can support one another in building a safer culture for those that suffer with mental health and substance use to seek help and live a life of recovery.  Hope is a message I seek to end this epidemic