Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation Announces Lineup for 75th Anniversary Gala

Rob Lowe to Emcee

Center City, Minn. (June 20, 2024) – On Friday, September 13, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, the nation's largest nonprofit provider of comprehensive behavioral health care, will host an invitation-only 75th anniversary celebration at The Armory in Minneapolis with supporters from around the country. Rob Lowe, whose 34 years of sobriety have empowered his iconic acting career, will serve as emcee. The private "Still Breaking Through Gala" will honor the organization's influential history while raising critical funds to advance its vital mission and expand its ecosystem of support.

"Throughout the past 75 years, generous donations have enabled us to challenge our industry, defy cultural beliefs, and help millions break through to recovery and well-being," said President and CEO Joseph Lee, MD. "We are grateful to Rob Lowe, our event sponsors, and individual contributors for rallying around us during this milestone and serving as catalysts for the future."

Hazelden Betty Ford is honored that Susan Ford Bales, daughter of President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford, is serving as the 75th anniversary honorary chair, and greatly appreciates the support of the gala's Sapphire Sponsors: Data Recognition Corporation, John and Ruth Huss, Anne and Bill Parker, Mary and John Power, and MaryPat Woodard.

"Recovery is the foundation of everything positive in my life, and Hazelden Betty Ford has been the gold standard at the center of addiction recovery in America for decades – breaking through stigma, transforming care, and saving lives like mine," Rob Lowe said.

The gala is just one event on a full slate of inspiring activities and fellowship for Hazelden Betty Ford's three-day National Recovery Weekend, many hosted at Hazelden Betty Ford in Center City, where the organization was founded and is still headquartered. Other highlights include the weekend kickoff conversation hosted by author William Cope Moyers with recovery advocates Susan Ford Bales; "Famous Dave" Anderson; and lyricist, writer, and comedian Maggie Moe; at Hazelden in St. Paul—long known as "Fellowship Club"— the same location which hosts the "75th Anniversary Celebration on the Green" on Sunday, Sept. 15.

To learn more about sponsoring a gala table and the many events occurring across the country this year, honoring significant milestones in Hazelden Betty Ford's journey to help people reclaim their lives and achieve lifelong recovery, please visit HazeldenBettyFord.org/75.

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.