We are delighted to share our first edition of The Way Forward News—which will, for the duration of our campaign, replace our Horizons newsletter.
As you may know, McLean publicly launched The Way Forward Campaign this fall, and in this first edition, you’ll find an overview of this landmark philanthropic effort, including some images from our inspirational campaign launch event in September.
You’ll meet our spectacular volunteer campaign leaders: Co-Chairs Kristine Trustey and Sean McGraw, as well as Honorary Co-Chairs Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, and Campaign Planning Committee Chair W. Lloyd “Skip” Snyder.
These individuals, among others, have been inspired leaders and hardworking partners on the journey that began in October 2019.
Between their own personal philanthropy and their willingness to roll up their sleeves and get down to work, we would not be where we are today without their guidance, generosity, and friendship.
And where are we? We can see the glimmer of a finish line.
While we still have work to do to bring our ambitious plans to fruition, we are delighted with the progress thus far—and you’ll learn why in these articles.
This issue highlights the centerpiece of The Way Forward—a new, built-to-suit child and adolescent campus on McLean’s grounds in Belmont.
You’ll hear from Drs. Dan Dickstein and Ralph Buonopane, who together are leading our Simches Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and planning for their new home.
Lastly, we share a brief, but inspirational, story about one donor who is turning a tragic personal loss into a story of joy and impact through an annual celebration that supports causes including The Way Forward.
Read the Articles
Charting The Way Forward
The best fundraising campaigns are like a living thing. The key priorities are planted as seeds that gradually grow and evolve. Early gifts from donors form the roots that, over time, produce stalks and leaves that catch the attention of others. Fed by the gifts of generous donors and with ongoing cultivation, a successful campaign ultimately yields a mature “plant” that provides sustenance to the organization’s most important needs.
Leading The Way Forward
When leaders were needed to nurture a spark of an idea into what has become The Way Forward: Campaign for McLean, a handful of dedicated supporters stepped up. McLean is both fortunate and grateful that Campaign Co-Chairs Kris Trustey and Sean McGraw, Honorary Co-Chairs Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, and Honorary Trustee and Campaign Planning Committee Chair Skip Snyder agreed to provide counsel, serve as the public faces of the campaign, and, of course, demonstrate their commitment to the cause by making leadership gifts of their own.
Building Dreams, Burnishing Hopes: The New Child and Adolescent Campus
At the center of nearly every major fundraising campaign is a compelling opportunity or need, a key goal that is essential to the organization’s mission yet requires a robust response from the philanthropic community in order to achieve. While The Way Forward: Campaign for McLean boasts numerous mission-critical funding objectives, its most ambitious and talked about goal is the $125 million, approximately 90,000-square-foot child and adolescent campus. This opportunity has proven meaningful to many donors, who have rallied around the needs of young people with mental health challenges and their families.
Read more in the full issue:
Celebrating Britty
Wat Tyler describes his late wife, Britten, as loyal, strong, and compassionate. She was an active member of her community, volunteering for causes she held dear. She also openly shared her experience with an eating disorder to help teenage girls going through similar struggles.
She took the most pride in her role as a mother. “Britt adored being a mother,” said Wat. “She was a natural and it was in becoming a mom that she was the happiest.”
After her passing in 2021, Wat honored Britt by creating the Britten Hartnett Tyler Foundation (BHTF) to help children in times of loss and hardship.
Its signature event—the annual BrittyBash—celebrates Britt’s generous spirit and raises funds to support organizations that serve children, whether through grief counseling, community building, or psychiatric care.
It seeks to provide children with the same support and care the Tyler children received after the loss of their mother.
Wat and his friends hosted the third BrittyBash on November 8, 2024. A portion of the proceeds supported The Way Forward Campaign and McLean’s effort to build a new child and adolescent campus in Belmont.
Britt’s legacy lives on through the foundation. The BrittyBash—described as “a time to throw down your best dance moves”—has helped turn tragedy into hope for so many vulnerable children, while Wat and his community of friends remember Britt.
