Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Receives its Largest Ever Single Donation

$8 million gift will help more families achieve recovery and well-being

Center City, Minn. (July 18, 2022)—The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation—the nation's leading nonprofit system of substance use disorder treatment, mental health care, recovery resources and related prevention and education services—today announced it has received $8 million – the largest single philanthropic gift in the Foundation's history—from the estate of Max E. and Joyce S. Wildman of Lake Bluff, Ill.

"We are grateful to Max and Joyce Wildman for their generosity and foresight in making a planned gift through their estate, one that will enable us to provide healing and hope to many more families and communities affected by substance use and mental health conditions," said Joseph Lee, MD, president and CEO of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

The gift comes amid record-high overdoses and rising alcohol-related deaths nationwide, as well as escalating mental health concerns on the tail of the pandemic. It will support Hazelden Betty Ford's care for individuals and the whole family while also helping advance the organization's research, education, prevention and advocacy efforts.

"A gift of this kind from generous benefactors who plan ahead to make a difference illustrates true dedication and commitment to the life-changing transformations that happen at Hazelden Betty Ford each day, and will help us empower recovery and well-being for all," said Moira McGinley, Hazelden Betty Ford's chief development officer.

Interested in learning more about how you can make a difference now, or through your estate planning? Contact our Development Team at 1-888-535-9485 or Giving@HazeldenBettyFord.org.

About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. As the nation's leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient addiction and mental health care for adults and youth, the Foundation has treatment centers and telehealth services nationwide as well as a network of collaborators throughout health care. Through charitable support and a commitment to innovation, the Foundation is able to continually enhance care, research, programs and services, and help more people. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in its services and throughout the organization, which also encompasses a graduate school of addiction studies, a publishing division, an addiction research center, recovery advocacy and thought leadership, professional and medical education programs, school-based prevention resources and a specialized program for children who grow up in families with addiction.