The idea that every life, no matter how brief, has the power to change the world was at the heart of our recent October Voices of Impact session as we welcomed Nick and Alayna Silva, founders of Mila’s Mission. Their conversation was a tender reminder of how love, even in the midst of profound grief, can inspire meaningful action, raise awareness, and create lasting support for families navigating pregnancy and infant loss.
Nick and Alayna started Mila’s Mission in honor of their daughter, Mila, who was stillborn at 28 weeks in April. Through their grief, they have created a fund with the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin that will support organizations serving families experiencing loss and other difficult circumstances. Their story reflects the power of turning a deeply personal experience into something that can reach far beyond one family, creating connection, understanding, and hope for others.
During the session, Nick and Alayna shared the story of Mila, the resources that helped them through the early days of their grief, and their hopes for the future of Mila’s Mission. They spoke openly about the importance of sharing their experience, raising awareness, and ensuring that Mila’s name and memory remain a lasting part of their family and community.
As Nick shared, “We found a lot of comfort in people sharing their stories and understanding that we weren’t the only ones, so we wanted to kind of do the same thing by also sharing our story and being able to find a way to keep Mila’s name alive as well, too.”
One of the most meaningful resources during their hospital stay was a Roman’s Wrap, a specially designed blanket that allows families to hold their stillborn baby for an extended period of time. Because of this resource, Nick and Alayna were able to spend three days with Mila, holding her, reading her books, listening to music, and welcoming family members to spend time with her, too.
Those moments became treasured memories that might not otherwise have been possible. The experience also inspired Alayna to help bring Roman’s Wraps to more families. After connecting with the organization behind the blankets, she helped host a blanket-making event at the Community Foundation’s atrium, where volunteers made approximately 50 handmade wraps to be donated to hospitals serving families experiencing stillbirth.
Another meaningful source of comfort for the family has been their Phoenix Bear, a weighted bear made to match Mila’s birth weight of two pounds and 13 ounces. Personalized with Mila’s name and a butterfly design, the bear offers a tangible connection to the time they spent holding their daughter. It also provides a way to keep her memory present in family photos and in the lives of future family members.
These resources illustrate how compassionate care and thoughtful gestures can make a lasting difference during some of life’s most difficult moments. They also demonstrate why Nick and Alayna are committed to supporting organizations that provide comfort, connection, and practical resources to families navigating loss.
A key component of Mila’s Mission is its commitment to supporting organizations that have made a meaningful difference in the family’s own journey while also extending help to families facing other challenges. Through their inaugural fundraising efforts, Nick and Alayna selected three organizations to receive support: Phoenix Bears, Roman’s Wraps, and Children’s Miracle Network.
Each organization serves families in a different way, whether by providing a tangible source of comfort after the loss of a baby, helping parents spend meaningful time with their child, or supporting children and families facing medical challenges. By including organizations with both specific and broader missions, Nick and Alayna hope to ensure that Mila’s Mission can make a difference for families experiencing a variety of difficult circumstances.
The family’s first Mila’s Mission Walk was another important step in building community around their mission. Held during October, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, the walk was designed to bring people together to remember, support one another, and help raise awareness of an experience that many families navigate quietly.
The distance of the walk, 2.8 miles, carries special meaning because Mila was delivered at 28 weeks. Along the route, participants could learn more about pregnancy and infant loss through awareness statistics displayed at mile markers. The event also created a welcoming gathering space where families, friends, and community members could come together in support of one another.
For Nick and Alayna, the walk represents more than fundraising. It is an opportunity for people who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss, as well as those supporting someone who has, to gather in a space of remembrance and understanding. Their hope is to continue growing the event each year, reaching more people, raising additional funds for their selected organizations, and making conversations about pregnancy and infant loss more comfortable and accessible.
Awareness is an important part of their mission. During the session, Nick and Alayna discussed the statistics surrounding pregnancy and infant loss, including that approximately one in four pregnancies ends in loss and that stillbirth occurs in approximately one in 160 pregnancies.
Their approach recognizes that grief is deeply personal and that these conversations require care. By sharing their story through community events, interviews, and educational opportunities, they hope to help others understand that pregnancy and infant loss affect many families and that no one should have to feel alone in their experience.
The Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin is honored to support Nick and Alayna as they build Mila’s Mission. When they began researching ways to create a fund, they were looking for an opportunity to raise money while maintaining a meaningful role in deciding which organizations would receive support. The Community Foundation offered a partnership that allows them to guide their giving while building something that can continue to grow over time.
Through the fund, a portion of the assets will be directed toward charitable organizations selected by Nick and Alayna, while another portion will remain invested to help the fund grow for the future. This structure allows Mila’s name to remain connected to a lasting source of generosity, extending the impact of her life well beyond the people who knew and loved her.
Mila’s Mission is a powerful example of how philanthropy can begin with a personal story and grow into a lasting source of support for others. Through their willingness to share their grief, honor their daughter, and create opportunities for others to come together, Nick and Alayna are helping make space for conversations that can be difficult but deeply important. In case you missed the session, please visit our YouTube channel to view it.
What is Voices of Impact? We share the stories behind the funds at the Community Foundation and celebrate the people generously shaping the communities of Portage and Waushara counties. Learn more about the Voices of Impact Series at https://cfcwi.org/voices-of-impact/.
Please note, we will not have sessions in November or December, with a relaunch in January 2027.