Overflowing Philanthropy

Jason C. Chandler, President of the Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation

Jason C. Chandler, President of the Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation

March 2009 marked the beginning of a very rainy season for Georgia. One wet morning I was driving in the drizzle and listening to a story on the radio when I arrived at work. I wanted to listen to rest of the story so I parked the car and turned off the windshield wipers and lights. As I was listening to the rest of the story I watched small drops of rain fall onto the windshield as they began collecting together to create winding streams of water flowing down the glass. As I looked across the completely soaked parking lot, waterfalls rushed off the roof of the building I was preparing to dash into momentarily.

Since Georgia has been in a terrible drought for years it was good news to hear next on the radio from the announcer that Lake Lanier was on its way to being back to full pool again way ahead of schedule. I thought to myself that it would have been impossible for the lake to fill up if it wasn’t for the collective pooling of all those rain drops. One water drop alone might not have made that big of a difference but when they all start linking together, streams start to flow and lakes begin to fill.

There is a humongous healthcare cup needing to be filled in America. Our vision at Gwinnett Medical Center for the future will be impossible to realize without the collective contributions of everyone. So, whenever we are tempted by the question “How can I make a difference?” remember that together everything is possible. And whether our contributions equal a few hours of time volunteering or total a few hundred dollars donated, it all matters, it all makes a difference and our goals would be impossible to reach if it weren’t for everyone raining down their support. Just recently, we witnessed the overwhelmingly positive effects of collective focus on bringing open heart surgical services to the people of Gwinnett. Moving forward, GMC will now focus on building the comprehensive cardiac care program that this community needs and deserves.

Everyone knows all too well that we are navigating through a tough economic period that may take a while still to subside. But, our mission is NOT in recession. From building a comprehensive cardiac care program and state-of-the art surgical services in Duluth and Lawrenceville, to completing our new cancer care facilities and enhancing women’s and children’s services, GMC is on a PATH to advance and transform healthcare for our community. Thank you for helping us to create the flood of philanthropy necessary to realize our vision of becoming an outstanding regional medical center.