Dear Friend,

My name is Jessica and I’m an alcoholic.

And with the help of the caring and generosity of friends like you, I’m now a practicing recovery counselor with a Master’s degree from the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies.

I’m writing to alert you that addiction and adverse mental health conditions are on a frightening increase because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And, as you might expect, Hazelden Betty Ford is taking action.

We need your help to train more talented and committed counselors like me.

So, we are reaching out to generous supporters like you to raise funds for scholarship grants to the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies.

More about this urgent need in a moment.

But first, a little about my story…

I want to share it with you because I was once a Graduate School of Addiction Studies student and I know first-hand how much the help of supporters like you means.

My recovery journey begins the night I was inebriated behind the wheel of a vehicle.

And I caused an accident, that included a collision with a police car.

I ended up in the hospital and then in a jail cell. Pacing from wall to wall I heard this voice in my head saying:

“You’re an alcoholic. You cannot drink anymore.”

And then—for just a second—A great peace seemed to come over me as I saw this beautiful field of grass and flowers. I knew I needed to make some big changes.

Then, after a number of years living a life steeped in recovery, I was ready to take the next big step in my journey.

I moved from Texas to Minnesota and enrolled in the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies. I started for one simple reason. I wanted to help people the same way I was helped while I was in treatment.

And now let me get to what I want to tell you today.

As stress, worry, and isolation increases due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, mental health challenges and addiction are on the rise. Help is getting harder to find.

We absolutely must take immediate action to train more qualified counselors for those who need our lifesaving services.

And here’s some great news:

An extraordinarily generous group of donors have stepped up to help meet the crisis by offering a $100,000 Matching Gift Challenge to match dollar-for-dollar donations for scholarships from caring friends like you.

That’s right. Your gift to help us increase the number of trained addiction counselors will be doubled.

• Your gift of $500 becomes $1,000

• Your gift of $400 becomes $800

• Your gift of $200 becomes $400

• Your gift of $100 becomes $200

Will you help us do this?

Your gift, right now, will help us make a difference. Please choose a gift amount that works best for you.

Thank you for your generosity as we come together to ensure individuals struggling with addiction and mental health challenges get the help they need.

In gratitude,
Jessica H.

P. S. The addiction and mental health crisis triggered by the pandemic is building. We must step up our efforts to increase the number of trained addiction counselors.

And please remember your gift will be doubled!