Gratitude: A Thank You Note for Generations

Giving back has long been part of Cheryl McKinley's journey. For more than four decades, gratitude has shaped how she lives and how she chooses to make a difference. And one important way she is making a difference is through planned giving—which allows her to support the causes she cares about through a charitable gift in a will, trust, or other financial planning tool.

"Treatment at Hazelden worked for me," Cheryl says, when nothing else had. "Early on in my journey, I thought I ought to give back what was done for me."

Today, 44 years into recovery, Cheryl describes that gift of healing as far more than overcoming a disease. Recovery, she says, is "a leap of trust into connection, awareness, and commitment to a new way of life."

That new way of life inspired a decades-long relationship with Hazelden Betty Ford. Cheryl was part of the Clergy Training Program, served as a Board Trustee, a member of the Graduate School's Board of Governors and, today, as a member of the Graduate School President's Council. Her life's work reflects her commitment to service and spreading the message of spiritual renewal.

One of Cheryl's most meaningful contributions came during her time as a trustee, when she advocated for evolving the organization's long-standing Counselor Training Program into a full-fledged Graduate School.

"I believed we needed to grant master's degrees and elevate the training of professionals in the field," she says. When the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School was established in 1999, Cheryl considered how she could help ensure the school and the organization would continue to have an impact well into the future.

"That planted the seeds for my interest in planned giving," she says. "It was clear we had further work to do, to carry the message of renewal, to support innovation and provide well trained professionals, who will in turn counsel thousands of patients.”

Her planned gift will support Hazelden Betty Ford's greatest needs, the Graduate School and public programming focused on spirituality and addiction, helping future patients, families and professionals benefit from compassionate, whole-person care.

For Cheryl, planned giving is deeply connected to the principles that have guided her recovery. Reflecting on the Twelve Steps, she sees legacy giving as an expression of gratitude for those who helped shape her life.

"I like writing thank you notes," she says. "I've had the opportunity to live my dreams. I'm grateful for those who made this possible—and I want to share that with them.”

In a way, she adds, “planned giving is like a thank you note. It is a tangible way to take a warm feeling or thought and put it into action. You’re giving it legs, so to speak, to pass it on.”

For anyone considering the impact they hope to leave behind one day, Cheryl encourages a simple but powerful reflection: "Who and what made you the person you are today? And how would you like to acknowledge that?" She invites others to consider how gratitude can become their lasting legacy, by including Hazelden Betty Ford in their estate plans.

When she looks back on her own journey, her answer to those questions is clear. The generosity she is extending today is, ultimately, an expression of thanks and a way to ensure that others have the same opportunity for healing, growth and renewal that continues to transform her life.