Clyde and Sandra Strickland

“A gift from the heart, to the heart”—The Stricklands give $1 million for Open Heart in Gwinnett.

Clyde and Sandra Strickland believe in life’s simple things: love, God, family and community.

“That’s what life is all about,” Sandra says. “Giving of ourselves and our money is an extension of our love for the community. We’ve always saved a portion of what we’ve earned, given to God and then given to the community.”

These values are evidenced in the Stricklands’ recent $1 million gift to Gwinnett Medical Center Foundation. “Gwinnett is the only county this large in the nation that does not have open heart services,” Clyde says. “Someone needs to step forward and make a statement. We believe we were driven to help lead this charge.”

Several of the Stricklands’ friends and family have been affected by heart problems. Their siblings had to be treated in Atlanta because Gwinnett Medical Center does not have open heart capabilities, services that are governed by Georgia’s Certificate of Need process.

“My brother had heart problems and his children lived in Rockdale County,” Sandra says. “His children did not have the means to visit their own father in Atlanta because the drive, gas money and parking fees were so costly. Had my brother been at Gwinnett Medical Center, his children could have spent more time with their father before he died.”

A new chapel, now under construction on the Lawrenceville campus, will be named in honor of the Stricklands in recognition of their gift.

“Giving is not about us—it’s about others.”