Less than a year after Owen Morton’s death following an incident at Hannegan Speedway, Ben Morton is honoring his teenage son by fundraising for his two favorite things: music and motorcycles.
“He was a really well-loved kid in his community — really passionate about really motorcycles, friends and music — and was just taken too early,” said Ben, who lives in Burlington.
Owen Morton died on May 17, 2024 from internal bleeding following a motocross accident.
Thanks to an outpouring of community support, Ben was able to establish a foundation under his name in partnership with the Skagit Community Foundation.
The foundation’s next upcoming fundraiser, “A Night of Rock and Roll for Owen’s Foundation,” happens at Mount Vernon’s Lincoln Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 11 — what would have been Owen’s 15th birthday. Ticket proceeds will fund music lessons and equipment for underprivileged youth.
The Jan. 11 concert marks the second major event for the foundation, which came to be after three of Owen’s best friends started a GoFundMe for the Mortons. They would ultimately raise more than $56,000 in donations — $15,000 more than what was needed to cover Owen’s medical costs.
“I was at a real loss of what to do with this money, as it is not mine to spend,” Ben said. “It is the donation to my son — and he can no longer use it.”
Wanting to spend this money with intention, Ben partnered with the Skagit Community Foundation (SCF) and opened a nonprofit under their umbrella. Initially, the foundation aimed to assist other families with bereavement costs and provide quality gear for children who either forget or cannot afford it.
In August 2024, Owen’s Day in the Dirt — the first event in conjunction with Hannegan Speedway and the Mount Baker Motorcycle Club — raised more than $14,000. Given its success, Ben decided to expand the foundation to honor his son’s other passion: music. Owen played the piano, bass, guitar and drums, and Ben noted he was “fairly proficient in all of them.”
“My new mission in life is to help other kids [who] wouldn’t have that opportunity otherwise,” he continued.
Ben recruited bands for “A Night of Rock and Roll” with the help of Michelle Montoya, lead singer of the Skagit County band Gin Gypsy. Initially, more than 14 groups expressed interest. The lineup was then narrowed down to five bands — Fanny Alger, The Dimes, Friends for the Ghost, Pops & the Boys and Charlie Partin — all of whom will play the event pro bono.
But the Jan. 11 event is just one among several fundraisers planned for this year. Ben is currently nailing down dates for a second installment of Owen’s Day in the Dirt, and he said the foundation will have a presence at numerous motocross events in 2025. Morton has also partnered with Gene’s Pub in Burlington for donation drop-offs during business hours (noon to midnight daily).
“I do take donations of used sporting equipment, whether that’s basketball, football, baseball, motocross, street racing — it doesn’t matter,” Ben said. “I also take instrument donations: If people have old instruments they … want to go to a kid that wouldn’t have that opportunity otherwise, then I can be that medium.”
In the future, Ben hopes to establish Owen’s Foundation as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit and expand its reach. But at the same time, “Everything’s really new. It’s kind of taken some legs and is starting to grow with every event we hold,” he continued.
For more information, visit or email Ben directly at owensnonprofit@gmail.com. Info: lincolntheatre.org/live-concert-owens-foundation.
Cocoa Laney is CDN’s lifestyle editor; reach her at cocoalaney@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 128.
