Board of Directors

Shane Taylor
Executive Director
 

Shane Taylor is Mia Taylor’s father.  He grew up in Omaha, Nebraska.  Upon graduating from Westside High School, he attended the University of Nebraska and Florida State University.  Mia was Shane’s only child.  In addition to raising Mia and his professional career, Shane always found time to volunteer and help others in need. This was something that he took great pride in sharing with Mia.  Shane also enjoyed coaching baseball, soccer and mentoring.  Throughout the years he mentored with Nebraska legendary football coach Tom Osborne’s TeamMates Mentoring Program, Shane also mentored students 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 holiday season (most holidays) 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 and included several seniors who were either living alone, experiencing financial hardships, or both.  
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In 2006, when Mia was 6, 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 related 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 (she passed away in Shane's arms 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) and MAT.  Mia had ordered MAT just two weeks prior to her tragedy and was never able to see him in person.  Shane honored Mia by naming MAT after her initials.   Shane has also returned mentoring and coaching youth soccer.