Executive Director

Shane Taylor

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Shane Taylor is Mia Taylor’s father and the Founder of The Mia Taylor Foundation, which was founded shortly after Mia's tragic passing.  Mia was Shane's only child.

Shane grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, where he attended St. Pius/St. Leo Catholic School for elementary school and Westside for high school.  Upon graduating from Westside, he attended the University of Nebraska and Florida State University. 

In addition to raising Mia, being a single father, and his professional career, Shane always found time to volunteer, coach, and help others in need. These were also things Shane took great pride in sharing with Mia.  Shane really enjoyed coaching baseball, soccer, and mentoring.  Throughout the years, Shane mentored with Nebraska legendary football coach Tom Osborne’s TeamMates Mentoring Program, as well as mentored students Omaha Catholic schools, in the District 66 school district, Omaha Public Schools, as well as numerous students and student athletes throughout Nebraska high schools and colleges (University of Nebraska - Lincoln, University of Nebraska - Omaha, Creighton University, College of Saint Mary, and Bellevue University).  In addition to coaching and mentoring, Shane has also conducted extensive community outreach in the Omaha metropolitan area to prevent the financial exploitation of the elderly, as well as elder abuse.

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In 2003, Shane was on the Board of Directors for Children's Rights Council (Nebraska/Iowa). Additionally, Shane co-founded a non-profit organization in Nebraska to assist children and parents going through divorce.  Some of the primary goals and accomplishments that were achieved from the organization, were establishing equal rights for both mothers and fathers, counseling for children and parents, legal consultations and assistance, as well as various other types of support for children and parents embroiled in costly and contentious divorce and child custody cases.
 
In 2005, when Mia was 5, Shane and Mia enjoyed brightening the Christmas holiday season for a local senior in need, by delivering a heartfelt gift and/or meal to them.  After the first holiday season, Mia was hooked, and it became a yearly holiday tradition that Shane and Mia shared together.  Mia told Shane that it made her feel like Santa Claus.  Their tradition became a yearly campaign that they named "Santa for Seniors".   "Santa for Seniors" included several local seniors who were living alone, were alone for the holidays, or were experiencing physical, medical, or financial hardships.  For some of these seniors in need, each of these things applied to their situation.  
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In 2006, Shane and Mia began an effort to provide books to disadvantaged or impoverished children who had few or no books in their homes.  Mia was exposed to reading at an early age and had a strong passion for reading and a profound love for books.  She and her father would spend hours reading and going to bookstores.  After returning from visiting a classmate's home one, Mia was sad to learn that her friend from Mexico, did not have any books in her home.  She began gathering some of her books at home and asked dad if she could give them to her friend from school.  This was the beginning of what started as another opportunity in which Mia wanted to give back to those in need.  Shane and Mia began purchasing or gathering donated books and distributed them to children in need across the local community.  

On Earth Day, April 22, 2021, Shane organized an effort to plant several trees in Mia’s memory. Additionally, Shane and a few close friends participated in a “tread-a-thon,” where they treaded water for 3 hours and 40 minutes for pledged donations.  The donations went to The Mia Taylor Scholarship fund at College of Saint Mary.     
 
In addition to his commitment to The Mia Taylor Foundation, Shane also serves as a board member with the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities (MFD), which serves some of the most limited and vulnerable people in our community – those with severe and chronic disabilities attributable to mental and/or physical impairment.
 
Shane also established Journey Beyond The Clouds, which is a grief support group for parents and their family members who have suffered the profound loss of a child.  Shane has taken great pride in counseling and helping others who are on the same painful and grief stricken journey as he is. 

In his free time, Shane has enjoyed caring for Mia’s two dogs - Princess Coco and MAT (MAT received his name from Mia's initials - Mia Ashley Taylor.  Princess passed away, while Shane was holding her, on March 2, 2022, just two months before turning 17.  Shane believes she suffered from sever depression and was never the same after Mia's tragic passing).  Mia had ordered MAT just two weeks prior to her tragedy and was never able to see him in person.  Shane has also returned mentoring and coaching youth soccer.