25/01/2021
Today, marks one year since our courageous and humble founder, Scott Shumate, left this earth. Scott had the unique ability to love every single person who came into his life wholeheartedly. The power of his presence, genuine interest, and commitment to serving others changed countless lives for the better.
Scott believed in the power of movement, breath, and sweat and made it his life’s mission to help others discover this powerful source within us all. Close friends would frequently receive texts from him reminding them, "don't forget to take your medicine today," followed by a photo of him at the gym with his beloved wife, Viri Shumate.
Scott’s core value, “healthy body, healthy mind” was cultivated at a young age from growing up around Arkansas’ vast outdoors where his love for nature grew deeper. Little would he know that these passions would ultimately culminate into a career that would greatly impact hundreds of teenagers and adults through his life and now beyond through his legacy of the Adventure Learning Program.
From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to floating down the Amazon River, Scott found peace and solitude in adventuring the worlds greatest landscapes. Even though he resided in the flat concrete jungle of Houston, Texas he had many outdoor interests: surfing, snowboarding, water skiing, kayaking, mountain climbing, running marathons, mountain biking, fishing, yoga, and playing tennis.
It was known to all that Scott had the uncanny ability to encourage and to motivate the people around him. He was a Giver – of his time, of his talents, and of his love. He invested in people, valued relationships, and held on to the belief that everyone had the propensity to persevere and to overcome.
The biggest tragedy is not that he is gone, it’s that there are far too many people who will never have met him before he left. For Scott’s accomplishments are not measured by what he did but by how many people’s lives he transformed. It is now up to us to carry on his legacy and embody all that he instilled within us, in our own lives.
⁃May you give selflessly and embrace others with sincerity and compassion.
⁃May you dedicate your life in treating people with kindness, being unpretentious, and believing that everyone is worthy of a second chance (even a third or a fourth.)
⁃Volunteer to worthy causes, pause daily and reach out to those who are hurting or in need.
Scott, in his short but abundant life, climbed his mountain with intensity, love and passion - now go climb yours!
