Before Gilda’s Club Madison became a place of hope and connection, it was just an idea. Wayne Harris of 6AM Marketing played an instrumental role in bringing that vision to life and later served as Chair of our Board of Directors after our iconic red doors opened.
Now, 19 years later, we have entered a new chapter as Gilda’s Club Wisconsin. And, once again, 6AM Marketing is there to help us enter this next part of our story.
“Part of 6AM’s culture is giving back. It’s embedded in our DNA,” shares Jill Skowronski, President at 6AM and current member of the Gilda’s Club Board of Directors. In 2025, Jill, Wayne, and the whole team at 6AM brought that spirit directly to Gilda’s Club by donating their expertise to help build a statewide marketing strategy, supporting our transition from Gilda’s Club Madison to Gilda’s Club Wisconsin. This marketing strategy is helping more people across Wisconsin find us when they need support the most.
“We choose organizations that are changing lives”
Lannia Stenz, Gilda’s Club Executive Director/CEO, spoke about 6AM at our Volunteer Appreciation Event, sharing, “Wayne often says that when a cause truly matters to you, you never really go away. For Wayne, Jill, and the entire 6AM team, this partnership has meant that they show up for Gilda’s Club again and again and again with skill, compassion, and heart.”
6AM chooses a different organization to volunteer at each quarter. “We choose organizations who are changing lives,” explains Jill. They have volunteered at organizations like Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Second Harvest, and Ronald McDonald House.
Raising awareness of free cancer support
The team puts their hearts into their volunteer efforts, and have put that same level of heart into the marketing campaign for Gilda’s Club. For Laura Fernandez, Account Executive at 6AM, seeing the end results of the campaign has made all of the hard work worthwhile. She especially appreciates seeing the Gilda’s Club billboards across the state, visualizing on a map exactly where the word is getting out. “I just imagine all of the eyes getting on that,” she shares.
For Samantha Layton, Account Manager at 6AM, it was hard to not be moved during the day they filmed a PSA in Gilda’s clubhouse. The clubhouse was filled with Gilda’s Club volunteers and members, all of whom shared their experience being a part of the Gilda’s community. She enjoyed, “Seeing it all come to fruition,” and shared that “seeing how we’re doing good feels good.”
A team effort
For Jill, the mission is personal. She became more deeply involved with Gilda’s Club by joining our Board of Directors, guided by her aunt’s cancer journey. “My aunt is battling stage 4 ovarian cancer,” she explains. Her work with Gilda’s feels like “I’m doing this alongside my aunt.”
It is obvious from speaking with their team that, just like Gilda’s Club, 6AM is community-focused, both in the broader community and within its own team. “We believe that none of us as are good as all of us,” shares Jill. “It’s very much a team effort. Wayne instilled in our culture the idea that part of leadership is giving back.”
We can’t thank 6AM Marketing enough for their love of this community and for all they have made possible, helping ensure that everyone across Wisconsin touched by cancer knows they don’t have to face it alone.
