This has been a difficult week after the passing of our friend and colleague Donna Skattum. Reading the tributes and memories online and on Facebook has reaffirmed what we already knew, that Donna meant as much to our community as she did to all of us here at SCB Marketing. Personally, Donna was a role model and mentor during the five years that I worked with her. We shared many laughs and even some tears together. No matter the professional or personal challenge or triumph, Donna always encouraged me. Even on her toughest days, she would ask how everyone else was doing and what she could do to help us.
Donna and I at an event a few years back
In honor of Donna, I’d like to share a few memories and lessons that she has taught me over the years.
Laugh out loud. There is humor in every situation, you just have to open your mind to find it. Donna shared so many “laugh out loud” stories. She could laugh at herself and no matter the situation, Donna was ready with a smile and a laugh.
Stay positive. Don’t sweat the small stuff and it is all small stuff. She never wanted to dwell on the negative. She admitted having a life threatening illness put things in perspective and she focused on the things that brought her happiness and joy.
Listen. Watching Donna at an event, it amazed me how she could “work” the entire crowd and still make everyone she talked to feel special and important. She did that by listening. People opened up to her because she genuinely cared about everyone she met and she listened to their stories.
Do what you love and love what you do. Donna truly loved what she did, documenting events and the people of our community, and she insisted on supporting these things throughout her treatment. She had talents and virtues that cannot be learned. She had a passion for this area’s nonprofit and cultural community and she wanted to showcase it in the best way possible and she succeeded.
I know she would want us to carry on her legacy by continuing to showcase the best of the Space Coast and the amazing philanthropic spirit of the area. Her smile and laugh will live on in our hearts and memories. Thank you to everyone for sharing your memories and condolences with her family and all of us here at SCB Marketing.
