{"id":7058,"date":"2025-06-23T04:12:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T04:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/7058\/"},"modified":"2025-06-23T04:12:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T04:12:09","slug":"at-93-mcalister-institute-founder-hands-reins-to-granddaughter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/7058\/","title":{"rendered":"At 93, McAlister Institute founder hands reins to granddaughter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"McAlister<\/a>Jeanne McAlister and her granddaughter, Marisa Varond. (Photo courtesy of the McAlister Institute)<\/p>\n

As she approaches 93, Jeanne McAlister still comes to the office daily, attending board meetings and visiting with clients, driven by the same passion that led her to found the McAlister Institute<\/a>, one of San Diego County\u2019s largest drug and alcohol treatment providers. <\/p>\n

After nearly 50 years at the helm, McAlister recently handed the nonprofit\u2019s reins to her granddaughter, Marisa Varond. Together, they form a powerful team bridging generations, unique perspectives and leadership styles. <\/p>\n

Varond joined the McAlister Institute in 2011 and steadily expanded her responsibilities, serving as program services coordinator, director of development and executive director before becoming CEO.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s going to take this organization where it needs to go,\u201d McAlister said. \u201cShe certainly does have skills I don\u2019t have and I have the story to inspire others to want what I have.\u201d<\/p>\n

McAlister\u2019s journey began not with a business plan, but with lived experience. A recovering alcoholic and addict, she has been sober for nearly 69 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t get sober for myself,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I did for my daughter. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

That decision changed not only her life but the lives of tens of thousands who would later walk through the doors of the McAlister Institute.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the very beginning, as the organization was getting off the ground, McAlister experienced a career-defining moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI sat in a room and said, \u2018We got a contract \u2014 who wants to be the boss?\u2019 and no one raised their hand,\u201d McAlister said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s how I became the boss.\u201d<\/p>\n

What began as a single program has grown into one of the county\u2019s most impactful networks for substance abuse, mental health and recovery services. Today, the institute serves more than 19,000 people annually across 23 programs, providing everything from prevention to outpatient and residential treatment to sober living support.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The organization has led the way in several areas, becoming one of the first in the nation to allow women to live in treatment with their children and the first in San Diego County to allow dogs into residential recovery programs.<\/p>\n

McAlister credits much of the organization\u2019s success to her team.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things I\u2019m most grateful for is the staff,\u201d she said. \u201cThey make me and the McAlister Institute look very good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Starting with 15 employees, the nonprofit has expanded to more than 400 people and an active board of directors. The growth reflects not only the organization\u2019s reach but also the changing industry landscape. McAlister has seen the stigma around addiction begin to shift, yet she is concerned about access to treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt used to be on-demand services,\u201d she said. \u201cToday, with intake screenings and wait times, we lose that window when someone is ready. I think that\u2019s the biggest change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another concern is the accessibility and danger of today\u2019s drug supply.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m convinced I could walk out of my office and buy drugs within a block,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, McAlister remains hopeful. She continues championing early intervention, affordable treatment and annual fundraisers such as the McAlister Institute\u2019s Walk for Sobriety<\/a> on Sept. 27 at Liberty Station.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne year, I saw a woman with a sign that read, \u2018359 days sober,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cHer little girl had a sign that said, \u2018359 days of having my mom back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

McAlister recalled how her daughter once gave her a thank you card on her sober-versary to say: \u201cBecause of your sobriety, I\u2019ve had a wonderful life and I can\u2019t imagine life without you in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt still brings tears to my eyes,\u201d McAlister said. \u201cMy grandchildren have never seen me slur my words, get drunk or do anything stupid. What a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n

That gift now comes full circle as one grandchild carries her legacy forward, guided by a personal understanding of addiction recovery\u2019s intergenerational impact.<\/p>\n

For more information about McAlister Institute, go to mcalisterinc.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jeanne McAlister and her granddaughter, Marisa Varond. (Photo courtesy of the McAlister Institute) As she approaches 93, Jeanne…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7059,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[8425,8426,5229,1582,276,8427,3457,8428,517,3549,7264,8429,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-7058","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-addiction-recovery","9":"tag-alcohol-and-drug-treatment","10":"tag-america","11":"tag-ca","12":"tag-california","13":"tag-jeanne-mcalister","14":"tag-leadership","15":"tag-mcalister-institute","16":"tag-mental-health","17":"tag-san-diego","18":"tag-sandiego","19":"tag-substance-abuse","20":"tag-united-states","21":"tag-united-states-of-america","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","24":"tag-us","25":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114730732336833320","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}