PAYETTE COUNTY, Idaho — An Idaho family is taking their heartache and turning it into healing as they work to ensure other families do not have to experience the same pain they did when they lost one of their children.
The Payette County Sheriff's Office said five-year-old Jayce Morgan passed away after he was in an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident on April 10. In order to ensure other families do not have to endure a situation like this, Jayce's grandmother, Chrisandra Morgan, started a non-profit dedicated to her grandson.
"Jayce was a little cowboy, he loved everything about rodeo, horses," she said. "He was a very adventurous kid. He loved being outdoors and he was always such a happy kid."
In April, Jayce and other family members were out riding an ATV. Tragically, investigators said the five-year-old was thrown from the vehicle. He was not wearing a helmet or other safety gear.
Monday, June 28 would have been Jayce's sixth birthday.
Morgan said many people have reached out to the family with similar stories.
"Children don't have the option if they're going to wear safety gear, it's the adult's responsibility," she said.
It was this accident that prompted Morgan to start the Jayce Morgan Foundation, which is aimed at raising awareness of the importance of helmets and safety gear as well as buying such equipment for children in need.
"[Jayce] was our everything. He's been with us since pretty much the day he was born," Morgan said. "We miss his laugh, just his presence around here. You could always know, you look out the window and see him playing. We just miss him."
Morgan said she knows this foundation will not bring Jayce back, but she is hopeful it will help keep other children safe. The foundation has already given out 20 helmets.
To learn more about the foundation, click here.
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