The Mia Taylor Foundation was created to build upon the legacy that Mia left behind by continuing her dedication, devotion and passion to the environment and nature conservation.  Mia was also extremely passionate about helping to improve the lives of those in need. 

 

The mission of The Mia Taylor Foundation is to fulfill Mia’s dreams, allow her memory to shine, and build on the legacy she left behind and watch it grow by continuing her dedication and devotion to the environment, nature conservation and helping improve the lives of others.   Some of the primary ways the foundation plans to continue doing this, include the following: 

 

• The foundation believes that businesses and companies must support, protect, and not damage the environment.  This belief is a good start, but it should not end there. We are committed to working with businesses and companies both locally and statewide to address the importance of environmental sustainability, as well as the needed measures necessary to implement an environmental compliant system within which a business or company operates.   

• Continue working with businesses and companies to establish the importance of environmental sustainability.  Making businesses and companies more sustainable starts with being aware of the issue at hand and understanding just how important it is to make changes, both for the business or company and the planet as well.  The Mia Taylor Foundation believes that furthering education relating to environmental sustainability in the State of Nebraska is imperative for business owners, leaders, administrators and employees.  The foundation believes furthering education is a great start, especially until qualified graduates are ready to be hired, step in, and begin taking action.  Nebraska businesses can make a major impact on improving the environment.  We believe this can be achieved by providing Nebraska businesses and companies with access to qualified graduates, from Nebraska universities, who have the passion and desire to create, implement, and maintain an environmentally compliant business or company.  For those businesses and companies looking at moving beyond merely complying with environmental, health and safety regulations, these graduates and prospective employees will be able to meet those needs and get ahead of the curve opposed to being left behind.  The foundation will continue working with Nebraska businesses and companies to gain their support not only for improved environmental sustainability practices and policies, but also having access to qualified graduates from the State of Nebraska colleges and universities who can be hired to these needs.     

• Continued dedication and commitment to Nebraska schools (both primary and secondary), colleges and universities by funding scholarships; expanding experiential learning opportunities to those passionate about the environment; establishing outdoor educational learning areas to complement indoor classroom settings; bringing advanced education (bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees) relating to environmental sustainability to the State of Nebraska, and much more in the foundation's attempt to further the advancement of environmental sustainability.  The Mia Taylor Foundation believes in the importance of environmental sustainability, whether it is basic education that will assist students in gaining exposure to the subject so they can begin making their own informed and responsible decisions or advanced education that provides a career path for individuals who desire to make an even larger difference for a business, company, community, state, and our planet.  

• The Mia Taylor Foundation is also committed to planting more trees.  Trees provide many benefits to our communities by improving air quality and cleaning the air we breathe, filtering the water we drink, absorbing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and so much more (see below for additional information). 

Young people today are coming to age in a world beset by crises, and the next generations are the most important and most affected stakeholders when talking about our global and environmental future.  The Mia Taylor Foundation believes we owe them the opportunity to learn more about the environment and ways in which they can protect and improve it.  We further believe Nebraska businesses and companies deserve to have the opportunity to hire local graduates who have the education, passion and desire necessary to meet the environmental needs of Nebraska businesses and companies.  Let's not let those graduates, who want to remain in Nebraska, slip away and leave our great state to attend other colleges or universities, or to be employed by businesses or companies in other states, when they could remain here in Nebraska.  Remain in Nebraska, be educated in Nebraska, and help Nebraska businesses and companies stay ahead of the curve, where they can become national leaders in environmental sustainability. 

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"Dig Deep for Mia"       

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The Dig Deep for Mia campaign, is an ongoing campaign that signifies digging deep within ourselves to make the world a better place, not only for our loved ones, but also for those in need. This meant a great deal to Mia, who gave so much of her time selflessly helping others.  Mia's father would tell Mia to "Dig Deep" during difficult times and it became a statement in the Taylor household and taught Mia to be resilient and never give up.  This is also a principle that Mia's father has had to regularly remind himself since Mia's tragedy, since she was not there to do it for him.   

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Most of us have experienced difficult times, adversity, and some have experienced loss and tragedy that often cannot be put into words.

  

A study by the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center suggests that air pollution and other environmental hazards pose a threat to our mental health.  With that said, The Mia Taylor Foundation believes that healthy environments can help us feel better and even have a curative effect on us, which is yet another reason for supporting environmental sustainability.  Additionally, the foundation believes that helping others, or doing things that will benefit others, can also benefit our mental health and physical well-being.  Mia and her father applied the philosophy of helping others, especially those in need, to their daily lives and it regularly helped them through difficult times.  Mia's father continues to apply this philosophy of digging deep within himself to help others, as well as honoring Mia's memory by continuing her dedication, devotion and passion to the environment and nature conservation.  

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The Mia Taylor Foundation hopes you can "Dig Deep" within yourselves and overcome whatever challenge you are facing or loss you have sustained by letting your inner resilience and determination to shine through. 

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"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

                                                                                                                                       Nelson Mandela