Van
Strickland is the mastermind behind the launch of Now is
the Time. It was his epiphany;("‘let the past go, learn
from it so you don’t repeat mistakes, but live each
moment as if it were the only moment,") that inspired
the birth of this amazing project. Armed with a can do
attitude, Van's entrepreneurial mindset has followed him
through adolescent and throughout his life. It is this
same entrepreneurial spirit that has fueled him to
follow his dreams and passion.
Mr.
Strickland is a graduate of George State University,
where he was a top freshman Chemistry student and was
accepted to medical school after three academic years
and graduated with honors. He did his residency at
Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals,
Pediatrics and fellowships at the National Jewish
Hospital/National Asthma Center, Adult and Pediatric
Allergy and Immunology. He sits on the National Board of
Medical Examiners, American Board of Pediatrics and the
American Board of Allergy and Immunology.
VAN
He is
influenced by people who walk in their purpose and
vision and admires those who are not afraid to try new
things and grow in their knowledge and business
experience. His purpose in life is to help people and
the world which inspired him to enter the medical
profession. Be believes one must live, love and be
productive Right Now! It is this very
belief and vision that Mr. Strickland credits as his
motivation for this project. In a recent interview he
stated , “ I firmly believe that helping as many people
as I possibly can to live in the Now will
help the world…I believe that if people could let go of
the pain and trauma of the past and quit reliving the
horrors that haunt them, happiness and productivity will
flourish. Now is the Time sparks just that.
The easier it is to do something beneficial, the more
likely it will be consistently performed.” One of his
main purposes for this project is to start a “Now
thinking” revolution and has reaped the benefits of this
concept. He ran the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28,
2007 wearing a t-shirt with the Now is The Time logo on
front and back and the words, “Cure Leukemia and
Lymphoma”. This event helped raise money to cure these
diseases and sparked awareness of his purpose.
Mr.
Van Strickland continues to play his part in society,
walk in his purpose and fulfill his dreams. A family man
with three daughters and married to wife Cathy
Strickland since 1979, keeps him focus and thankful. He
is a motivator, an inspiration to many, an advisor, but
more so a man driven by passion, vision and purpose.
2.
JOHN
He grew up in College Park, GA, and was an outstanding athlete in three
sports in high school . He was MVP of the 1969 LHS football team and earned a scholarship to Vanderbilt
University. He was 1970 valedictorian and Atlanta Journal Cup (most outstanding graduate)
recipient at LHS. A football injury during his freshman year at Vanderbilt ended his athletic career
and he transferred to Georgia State University in Atlanta. He was graduated cum laude from GSU
in 1974, with a degree in mathematics and a double minor in elected to Who's Who in American Colleges
and Universities. philosophy and psychology. While at GSU he was president of two honor societies
(Phi Eta Sigma and Blue Key) and vice-president of a third (Omicron Delta Kappa). He was an
outstanding senior and was After graduation from GSU, Reverend John attended seminary at Unity School of
Christianity, Unity Village, MO. While there he did volunteer work in the chaplain's office at the
Jackson County Jail in Kansas City, MO. He also worked for the Association of Unity Churches as their
International Youth of Unity and Young Adults of Unity Coordinator. In 1976, at 23 years of age, he was
graduated and ordained as a Unity minister. He is among only five ministers in the history of Unity
to be ordained at 23.
Rev. Strickland has served ministries in Santa Rosa, CA, Jacksonville, FL, New York, NY, and Honolulu,
HI. He also served as a vice-president at the world headquarters and a director of Silent Unity,
a worldwide prayer ministry. He has been a beloved columnist for Unity Magazine and Daily
Word Magazine. In 1998/99 he served as Chair of the Board of the Association of Unity Churches.
JOHN
In 1999 he was Unity's delegate to the Parliament
of the World's Religions in Cape Town, South Africa. When in Hawaii, he was a founding member of The
Open Table, an ecumenical gathering that promotes education, cooperation and the honoring of diversity
in religious thought.
In 2001, Reverend John returned to the city and church of his childhood, Atlanta Unity. John has
served on a variety of committees and task forces of the Association of Unity Churches and has served on
the boards of the Kansas City Children's Museum, the Global Children's Organization, Senior Connections
and the North Dekalb Rotary Club. He is a Paul Harris Fellow in Rotary. Rev. John was inducted
into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College on April 3, 2003. On Monday,
June 16, 2003, Rev. John received the Light of God Expressing Award, the highest honor within Unity, at the
Annual Ministers' Conference in Kansas City. In July of 2004, Rev. John was one of Unity's delegates to
the Parliament of the World's Religions in Barcelona, Spain. In May, 2004, Rev. John graduated from The
Diversity Leadership Academy of Atlanta. In June of 2005, Rev. John was an honored guest and speaker at the AA
Convention in Toronto Canada. John serves as President of North Dekalb Rotary Club (Atlanta, Georgia)
2007/08.
3. JEFF
Co-founder Jeff Fuller, shares Van and John Strickland's
vision to inspire one to follow their dreams. It has
always been Jeff’s dream to earn a living by doing
something creative and entertaining - for others, as well
as himself. Being an individual who believes in the
possibility of pleasing clients without sacrificing your
personal beliefs, or being gainfully employed in a
position that compliments ones belief , makes this project
very persona for Jeff.
At age
twenty-two, Mr. Fuller has over eleven years experience in
fine art and graphic design and is the recipient of
numerous fine arts and design awards. He began making
short films and comic books at age ten and believes there
is no reason to conform to immoral things to make a
living. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in
Visual Effects/Motion Graphics at the Art Institute of
California: California Design College.
After
meeting the Strickland's, Mr. Fuller realized that they
all shared similar desires of entrepreneurship and helping
people. Inspired by both John and Van, who have excelled
in occupations that are for the betterment of mankind, Mr.
Fuller's drive has increased to operating in the capacity
that he does. He targets projects that focus on the long
term end result as oppose to short term results which
makes him a man of vision. He believes this project will
help people from the inside/out and promote a positive
lifestyle which made his decision to stand as partner in
this project very easy.
