David got clean and sober when he was 19, close to death from his own struggles with addiction. Now 32 years clean and sober, he has been consistently active in his recovery community being mentored and mentoring others, served on recovery and youth related non-profit Boards such as LifeWorks and the West Hollywood Recovery Center, and served on panels at institutions speaking from his own experience about recovery.
Director Of Operations
GREG GELBER
Greg has been with Awakening Recovery from its inception in 2016 and helped develop our process having graduated from a similar recovery process over six years ago. Prior to coming to us, Greg worked in operations at an Intensive Outpatient Center for a year and half. Greg brings great leadership skills to our team both with staff and residents, being able to speak from his own experiences in our recovery community and his prior operational work in treatment.
House Manager
CHRISTOPHER MATAISZ
Chris is a graduate of Awakening Recovery, has been our Assistant House Manager and was recently promoted to House Manager. His knowledge of our recovery home and unique ability to understand what our residents are going through helps make our residents feel safe as they progress through the house.
Assistant / Weekend Manager
ELIJAH LINDSAY
Eli is a graduate of Awakening Recovery, has been our live-in Overnight Coordinator and was recently promoted to Assistant / Weekend Manager. Eli’s having been a resident in this house makes him the perfect mentor on the weekends for resident issues that come up as he has the same lived experience.
David Van Der Velde
Executive Director & Co-Founder
David got clean and sober in 1988 at the age of 19, close to death from his own struggles with drug addiction and alcoholism. Now 32+ years clean and sober, he has been consistently active in his recovery community by mentoring others, serves on recovery and youth related non-profit Boards such as LifeWorks and the West Hollywood Recovery Center, and serves on panels at institutions speaking from his own experience about recovery.
In 2015, David chose to transition from a 25-year career in producing large-scale corporate events for the sports, entertainment and non-profit sectors, to co-founding Awakening Recovery as its Executive Director and Board member, helping those looking for a long-term recovery solution regardless of access to funds. Additionally, David has successfully completed his Certificate in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling from UCLA. He now devotes his personal and professional life to helping people find a long-term recovery solution from drug addiction and alcoholism through the life-saving work at Awakening Recovery and in his recovery community at large.
Joelene Knight, CADC-CAS
Joelene Knight, is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Grace Recovery, a sub-acute and residential treatment program located in Hollywood, California, as well as a Board Member at Awakening Recovery, a unique life-saving nonprofit that specializes in recovery homes with a long-term, 12-Step addiction solution that creates a lasting change in core beliefs and behaviors.
Joelene is trained as a Certified Addiction Counselor and received her CADAC from UCLA in 2001. With 30-years of experience in the behavioral health, addiction, and recovery field, Joelene began her career in 1991 as a Community Outreach Specialist, providing counseling to high-risk youth, adolescents and their families. Joelene’s experience has spanned from delivering HIV prevention, education, and testing to individuals impacted by substance use disorders, to providing clinical expertise, insight, and programming as a Director and Clinical Advisor for multiple treatment programs in Southern California. She volunteered for the City of Los Angeles as a Crisis Response Team member, where she acted as a liaison for members of the city who were tragically impacted by homicide, suicide, and unforeseen deaths.
Joelene’s genuine and empathic nature is the foundation of her drive and service, which led her to build a continuum of care based on her expertise. In 2018, Joelene branded and opened Grace Recovery with her longtime friend and colleague. Grace Recovery is the culmination of years of experience, passion, purpose, and expertise. The foundation of Joelene’s unwavering commitment to providing ethical treatment to those in need is a testament to her past and current roles, as advocate, educator, clinical leader, crisis management, and behavior and addiction specialist.
Donation Level
$50,000
Scholarship Angel
Provide a full-year resident scholarship
$25,000
Founder
Empower a resident to become a senior member
$10,000
Defender
Feed a resident for 3 months
$5,000
Sentinel
Provide a long-term scholarship for a resident whose income has been displaced due to COVID 19
$2,500
Guardian
Fund a delivery of house supplies for a month
$1,500
Warrior
Provide a short-term scholarship for one of our residents whose job was cut due to COVID-19
$1,000
Awakening
Fund random weekly drug and alcohol testing for a month
$500
Courage
Fund a month of Saturday group meetings by video to keep our residents connected and anchored
$250
Faith
Fund a month of special meditation sessions designed to help cope with the COVID-19 crisis
$150
Hope
Connect our residents with alumni in peer and 1:1 video discussions for a day
David got clean and sober in 1988 at the age of 19, close to death from his own struggles with drug addiction and alcoholism. Now 32+ years clean and sober, he has been consistently active in his recovery community by mentoring others, serves on recovery and youth related non-profit Boards such as LifeWorks and the West Hollywood Recovery Center, and serves on panels at institutions speaking from his own experience about recovery.
Joelene Knight, is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Grace Recovery, a sub-acute and residential treatment program located in Hollywood, California, as well as a Board Member at Awakening Recovery, a unique life-saving nonprofit that specializes in recovery homes with a long-term, 12-Step addiction solution that creates a lasting change in core beliefs and behaviors.