Meet David Mills | Business owner, entrepreneur, philanthropist, community leader

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Mills and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process was to carry out Kailee’s legacy in her absence. To build a community of people who were going through similar tragedies and provide support to grieving families. Kailee was always so caring and kind hearted, and would always seek out people who were sad to try and cheer them up and make them feel good about themselves.

Also, knowing how horrific and painful it is to lose a child to a sudden tragedy that can be easily prevented, our thought was that if there was a way we could prevent another family from going through what we have had to go through, just by having a simple message or conversation, then we were all in. Losing a child is something we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemy, and if raising awareness spares one family from this extreme grief, it’s something we wanted to do.

For our scholarship program, we immediately knew that since Kailee was not going to have the chance to go to college, we wanted to help someone else pursue their dreams. It’s a way that her legacy can help create a better future for others.

In a nutshell, we wanted to turn our pain into purpose and give Kailee a legacy that she deserves and something that matched her spirit, personality, and who she was as a person.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are most proud of becoming national leaders in seat belt awareness and providing grief support for families dealing with the tragedy of losing a loved one in a crash. Also very proud of the unique scholarship we have, and how that impacts every applicant for the rest of their lives, and how just by going through the application process has such a profound impact on them and those around them.

It has not been easy to get to where we are today, we were blessed with tremendous support in the community and beyond, and have overcome many challenges by always keeping our mission at the forefront and keeping in mind that what we are doing is saving lives and has a ripple effect that we will never fully understand.

We want people to know that no matter how difficult it may seem, or how horrible of a tragedy you have been through, there is hope that a lot of good can come out of tragedy and you can channel your grief into doing something positive.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them hunting or fishing, but if I was a tour guide trying to show them a good time, maybe a Rangers game or a Cowboys game, the FtWorth Stockyards, Deep Ellum, Downtown (eat at SushiYa), JFK site.

Lots of cool things in Downtown. I’d make them ride DART just to experience all the craziness of that, lol

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Justin Spillman had a son named Tyler that was close friends with our daughter Kailee. Just 2 weeks before we lost Kailee, Tyler had passed away in a car crash and we remember how hard Kailee took it, and how she was impacted by this great loss. It was on the forefront of everyone’s mind in the 2 weeks leading up to Kailee’s death. We had never met Tyler’s parents, but when we were at Kailee’s memorial service, Justin and his wife Yanise came up and introduced themselves and were there to offer their support to us, and share some stories of Kailee and Tyler’s friendship. They had just laid Tyler to rest a week or so before, and I was just in awe of the strength and compassion that they showed, despite the fact that they were going through it themselves. We instantly connected and became close friends, and he also began a non-profit in memory of Tyler, and we would bounce ideas off each other, collaborate on many things, but most importantly, be there for each other in our grieving process.

This was something that I felt was vital to our healing, being able to connect with others sharing similar experiences and having someone to talk to that knows what you are going through. That’s why we wanted to build a community of parents and loved ones, so that they too could have people to lean on that knows what they are going through and have been in their shoes.

I learned a lot from Justin, and without him and his wife, I don’t know that we would have been as successful as we have been.

Website: kaileemillsfoundation.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaileemillsfoundation

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kaileemillsfoundation

Twitter: @kmillscharity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaileemillsfoundation

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KaileeMillsFoundation

Other: https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/823501862 https://greatnonprofits.org/org/kailee-mills-foundation https://www.guidestar.org/profile/82-3501862