The father of a Barrie teen who died after running away from home said today he hopes the tragedy of his son’s death will serve to help underprivileged children pursue their athletic goals through a foundation set up in his name.
Brandon Crisp, 15, was found dead last week in a wooded area east of Barrie. He went missing Thanksgiving Day following an argument with his parents over his Xbox gaming habits.
Crisp’s disappearance prompted an outpouring of support from across Canada and hundreds of volunteers turned out to aid police in the search north of Toronto.
An autopsy concluded he died from injuries suffered after falling from a tree and foul play is not suspected.
“Our family believes everything happens for a reason, although it is hard to understand the death of a child who had so much to give,” Steve Crisp said at a news conference with his wife and two teenage daughters by his side.
“Brandon will keep giving to those children less fortunate to enable them to love life through minor sports through a foundation we’ll be setting up very shortly.”
Crisp said his son had played as a goalie on a local hockey team, but quit after he was deemed to be too small.
“He got to a point where he was a little shorter than the other kids,” Crisp said.
“His position was kind of moved off the team, and we decided to quit minor sports at that point.”
Crisp said the foundation to be set up in his son’s name will strive to help children overcome such obstacles.
“I don’t think any child should have to go through that ever,” he said. “I think every child should be able to play, wherever they want to play, and whenever they want to play, and that’s something that I’m going to make sure happens from now on.”
Once Brandon stopped playing hockey, he spent more and more time playing video games, leading to conflicts with his parents. He eventually became so hooked on gaming that he began skipping school. On the day he went missing, his parents had taken away his Xbox, saying he was addicted to playing the online war game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
“We hope that Canadian families will help donate to this foundation to help underprivileged children to play minor sports and get them out there playing what they should be playing,” Crisp said.
An interim account has been set up with CIBC as the Brandon Crisp Trust Account, and donations can be made at any of the bank’s branches.
Crisp said his family is still grieving, but finding comfort in knowing that out of his son’s death has come a way to help others.
“We believe the reasons ... Brandon’s story was brought into everyone’s homes was to make us all realize that love and life are never to be taken for granted,” he said.
“We know Brandon’s story has made us all hug each other more strongly, and more often. For this gift we are eternally grateful.”
Officials haven’t yet determined when the boy died, or how long his body was at the scene before being discovered.
More than 1,000 people are expected to attend Crisp’s funeral mass tomorrow morning at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Barrie, north of Toronto.