Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Alicia and Beau Mills have turned the tragedy of their child loss into a testament of faith, creating an organization that creates community and support for those who have suffered the sudden death of a child. Through this organization, the Millses have been able to help support more than 40 families nationwide, all thanks to generous sponsors and fundraisers, the largest of which is their Beau Bear Organization 5K and 1K Fun Run.
The Beau Bear Organization 5K and Fun Run returns for its second year at 7 a.m. April 5 at Hewlett Park. This family-friendly event welcomes all ages and skillsets. Those who don’t feel up to running the 5K are invited to walk, and those with strollers and children are encouraged to participate also. The focus of this race isn't to be the first one to the finish line, but rather to shift community attention toward garnering support for sudden child loss.
“Our race is very family friendly, so we have it to where you can either walk or run the 5K, and we also do a 1K Fun Run. It's a little bit of a shorter loop, and it's just for kids to kind of take their time, and for our families who want to maybe take it a little slower but still be able to join the cause,” said Alicia Mills, founder of the Beau Bear Organization.
Participants are invited to enroll either online or on race day. Cost of enrollment per participant is $35 for the 5K race, and $20 for the 1K Fun Run. These admission prices include admittance into the race, a free T-shirt and participation medal. The deadline for online enrollment is March 17, however, the organization will accept last minute enrollments day-of.
If you lack the running gene, fret not — in addition to participant enrollment, the organization also gives the option of becoming a “sleep-in supporter.” This designation requires a donation of $30 but ensures that you’re doing your part to support the cause — all from the comfort of your PJs.
All proceeds from this event will be given directly to the families the Beau Bear Organization currently supports. This support includes everything a grieving family may need, including covering funeral costs, caskets, medical bills, groceries — even weekend trips for the grieving parents to have a chance to get away and process all that they are going through.
“Our goal is to give it all away. Essentially, we don't want to keep it, it all it all goes out. And so we want to make sure that in order to help families, as we get submissions, that we have those funds available. So that's kind of the goal this year, just make sure we have the funding so that we can get generously and when needed,” said Mills.
This organization is truly a labor of love for its founders, the Millses.
The couple and their four children moved to Granbury from California in 2018 to grow their bucking bull business. Their young family enjoyed two years of rural Texian bliss, until tragedy struck when their youngest son Beau (Jr.) unexpectedly passed away in 2020.
“We were having just a crawfish boil in a backyard, just still trying to kind of meet people,” began Mills. “So, we had our neighbors over, some people from church, and our youngest son kind of just wandered off. We had an empty pool on our property, kind of tucked back. No one used it, but it had rained, and so it had about three or four inches of water in it. We didn't see what happened exactly, but I found him at the bottom of the pool. We pulled him out, and he still had a heartbeat so we rushed him to Cooks, but there just wasn’t anything we could do to save him.”
Mills said that despite their being new to the area, the Hood County community surrounded and supported them through this unexpected and devastating time.
“We're still fairly new to the area, and so we didn't know a ton of people ... but people just showed up for us, supported us and loved us, and in ways you couldn't even imagine. And so experiencing all of that and just the support that we had, we just know that with people who lose children, not everyone has that same experience,” said Mills.
Despite this devastating tragedy, with the help of their community, the Millses pulled themselves together and founded the Beau Bear Organization the following year. Due to their experience with sudden child loss, they realized there was a strong need for a sense of community in trying times, and that they could provide both financial and emotional support including relevant understanding for families going through a similar situation.
“My husband's desire, he just said, ‘Hey, I think we need to try to, like, duplicate this (community) for people who don't get to experience it the way that we get to.’ And so, our goal is to just raise funds and be able to support families who tragically lose children,” Alicia Mills said.
When asked if it was difficult to start a nonprofit around the things they had experienced, Mills admitted it actually had the complete opposite effect.
“It was, surprisingly, probably one of the most healing things that we've done, just because of the connection that we got to make with people. And I think for us talking about Beau Bear and what happened, like, I think that's a … I think it's a part of the process, and I think it's really good for our hearts and our minds,” Mills said.
Last year, for the organization’s inaugural 5K, more than 140 participants came to run, raising more than $5,000; but this year, the BBO is hoping for an even grander turnout. So, enroll in the race now to guarantee yourself a T-shirt, but if you miss the March 17 deadline for online enrollment, don't fret, you can always sign up to race on the day-of.
For more information about the Beau Bear Organization or its annual 5K race, please visit either the website at beaubear.org, or for race registration, please visit runsignup.com/Race/TX/Granbury/BeauBear5K.
