The Story Behind the Logo
Long before there was a foundation, there was a painting.
In 1994, a rare white bison calf named Miracle was born in Janesville, Wisconsin. News of the birth spread quickly. For many, the calf symbolized hope and renewal.
That same year, a young girl lost her father to colon cancer.
Shortly after his death, an artist painted Miracle for her. The painting hung in her room as she grew up. It followed her through high school, through college, through career moves, through marriage and divorce, through childbirth and cancer treatment.
It never left.
The girl was Brooke Clay Taylor.
When she launched the Rural Gone Urban Foundation in 2022, after her upgrade to stage 4 triple-negative breast cancer, she did not need to invent a symbol. She had been living with one for decades.
The white bison became the mark of the foundation.
Why the Bison
When storms approach, most animals run with the wind.
Bison turn toward it.
By facing the storm, they shorten the time spent inside it.
The Rural Gone Urban Foundation supports women who take that posture. Women who move toward difficulty with discipline and resolve. Women who do not pretend the storm is not there, and do not wait for someone else to fix it.
We do not romanticize hardship.
We stand beside women walking through it.
“It’s back” are the words you don’t want to hear when you’ve already slayed the cancer beast once and your 2 year old hasn’t yet developed her front cortex, which means she won’t remember you.
But, they’re the words Brooke Taylor heard in 2022, and they’re the words that catapulted the Rural Gone Urban Foundation into existence.
Named after Brooke Taylor’s small business, Rural Gone Urban, with the sole mission of supporting brave and strong women, this foundation is the catalyst to which Brooke’s now 4 year old can’t outrun Brooke’s hope for her: to live a life of loving without an asterisk.
Our three giving programs — love bombs for cancer slayers, no-gpa-required scholarships, and small business grants — are representative of Brooke’s three difficult seasons, which were filled with the most silver linings.
Today, Brooke is living in miracle times, which means her scans are no longer lighting up like a Christmas tree and she’s able to dedicate her most precious commodity - time - to this organization.
Artist: Claudia Isley.
On August 20, 1994, a white buffalo calf called Miracle was born on a farm in Janesville, Wisconsin. She is believed to be the first white buffalo calf born since 1933. It is important to note that Miracle was a very rare white buffalo and not to be mistaken with an albino buffalo. To the American Indians, the birth of Miracle was the fulfillment of their legends, as if the Great Spirit wished to bring hope and peace to all nations and people. As of today, the last known white buffalo calf, Baby, was born July 4, 2012 in Avon, Minnesota, but sadly died two weeks later. Read more from NPS.gov.