Listen to the emotional account as Tori Morrison tells you how she finally summed up the emotional courage to meet the man who received Ben’s liver and kidneys

by David Miller

On September 22, Tori Morrison and Kate Jackson came to the LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV studio at the Simpson Farmhouse to talk about a new initiative of the Ben Morrison Fund. Morrison is the President and Treasurer of the Fund and Jackson is a member of the Board.

The fund was established after Morrison lost her son Ben and his battle with his hidden mental health problems. Ben took his life by suicide in 2021. To honor Ben and help erase the stigma of pain and struggles with mental health, the fund was established to fight for others and fight against that stigma to help make sure no one feels alone.

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“Ben’s continuing legacy will not be one of loss, but as a lifesaver through organ donation, as a loyal friend and stalwart teammate and a man of deep compassion for others.  His legacy will go on through the Ben Morrison Fund and through those of us who serve that cause and carry him with us to take care to light the way out of darkness for others and spark hope to always continue your story.”

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The Ben Morrison Memorial Fund is committed to providing scholarships to graduating seniors from Loveland High School. They are dedicated to erasing the stigma of mental health struggles, opening conversations, and offering lifelines to help save the lives of young people in crisis.

The Ben Morrison Memorial Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

In this interview, my guests will tell you about Ben and the life of giving and kindness he led, most of it not obvious to his mother Tori. She tells how “onery” Ben could be, typical of teenagers not allowing parents to know their true selves.

Tori tells you that when Ben got his driver’s license she encouraged him to sign up to be an organ donor and asked him if he would. Ben would never answer her, his cantankerous nature was a tease. Tori and Ben’s father never knew he had signed the form until in the hospital after Ben took his life they asked them if it would be OK to harvest some of Ben’s organs. Realizing then that to their surprise Ben wanted that too, without hesitation they agreed.

Listen as Tori reveals for the first time how the donor process works and how she became emotionally strong enough to agree to meet the man who received Ben’s liver and kidneys.

Tori has now determined, because of the suggestion by Kate, that the current Loveland High School students don’t know what attributes Ben had that so enamored his class and teammates to him, and Ben’s Way would be a good vehicle to keep his legacy alive.

• Ben spoke up for others.

• He was unselfish.

• A leader, and protector.

• A young person who led by example and modeled hard work and resilience.

• Ben treated others with acceptance, kindness, and encouragement.

These attributes were revealed to them through the applications and actual words of the students who applied for the 21 scholarships the fund has awarded. Kate tells a story about being inspired after witnessing a young student one day that reminded her of Ben in the kind way he was treating a “special needs” child. Kate says, “Well number one, this is something Ben would do, and number two, this child should be recognized for doing something so positive in a world that’s not always so positive.” The child had done something, Ben’s way.

Watch Tori and Kate tell you how Ben’s Way will transform life and lives at Loveland High School.

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Ben may have been one of those unrecognized/uncounted victims of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Covid was hard for Ben, as for all those seniors. He didn’t get his final lacrosse season, prom, graduation, or grad parties, and life changed in so many ways.  He didn’t know what his next chapter should be. But later that year, he decided to become a Firefighter and go to community college. He didn’t get to start those chapters. For some reason we will never know, maybe a bad day, a moment of self-doubt, an offhand comment that cut too deep, some inner turmoil or unspoken conflict, our Ben, a boy who never expressed depression nor showed signs of any form of struggle with mental illness, was suddenly and without explanation gone from our lives forever.

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Kate Jackson was a football “Team Mom” and her son was a teammate of Ben when they played for Loveland High School. Ben also competed in lacrosse. Jackson said, “Ben was an important part of my son’s life and an important part of my life and Tori became likewise an important part of my life.”

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Become a Ben’s Way Sponsor

On Saturday, September 29 Cappy’s Wine and Spirits is hosting a fundraiser for the Ben Morrison Fund featuring the Chuckies in Love band playing the “ultimate throwback tunes, bringing you the iconic sounds of the 70s & 80s”.

Watch Chuckies in Love…

Become a Ben’s Way Sponsor