Foundation honors Cranbrook football coach killed by drunk driver in 2020

FOX 2 (WJBK) - For the first time, the family of the beloved Cranbrook football coach, Ben Jones, is speaking out after he was killed by a drunk driver in 2020.

They have since started a foundation in his honor that is helping kids the way Ben did.

"He loved coaching football," Ben's brother, Nate Jones, said. "He said he worked during the day, but his real work started at 3 o'clock when he came out to the field and got to coach these kids."

The 30-year-old head coach of the Cranbrook Kingswood varsity football team worked as a financial planner to afford what he loved most – working with kids.

"He was passionate about football, but he was passionate about young people; helping them develop and be the best version of themselves," Nate said, remembering his brother fondly. 

However, everything changed on Aug. 19, 2020. 

Ben was driving home. He stopped at a red light on the EB I-696 Service Drive in Pleasant Ridge, but a drunk woman driving about 65 mph did not. She struck Ben's car from behind, pushing him into two other vehicles in front of him. 

He was pronounced dead at Royal Oak Beaumont. 

"Quite a devastating day, but we have made it our goal to make something beautiful out of something so tragic," Nate said.

The admitted drunk driver, 56-year-old Wendy Bass, had a blood alcohol content that was more than three times the legal limit. She is expected to spend up to 15 years in prison.

But Ben's friends and family wanted the young coach with a bright future to be remembered for how he lived, not how he died.

"One thing that I loved about my brother is that he saw the best in people, even if they didn’t see it themselves," Nate said. "He always had a deep belief in others to do great things."

Shortly after Ben's untimely death, his loved ones created the Get To Foundation in his memory – named after a simple phrase he often used even back during his days as a student at Hillsdale College.

Michael Murray, who ran the college's career services, remembers helping the graduate land a job.

"I said ‘alright this is what you have to do before our next meeting,’ and he corrected me… and he said ‘it's what I get to do – I don’t have to do anything,'" Murray said. "I was like, ‘I like that.’"

Those two simple words have become the foundation's mantra as it works to motivate students like Ben did as a football coach, and in life.

"We really want to create a new generation of people that are empowered by this message, that they embrace life with the ‘get to’ attitude each and every day," Nate said. "And that they have a community of ‘get to’ people to help support them do that."

The Get To Foundation has already raised $150,000. From scholarships, grants and motivational speakers, to building baseball fields and buying cleats – more young people get to go to college, play sports, and are inspired to live like Ben did.

"He was an old soul who just knew how to connect with people," Murray said. "And then to honor that connection and friendship, he went the distance. He was intentional with everything he did, and people mattered."

And because Ben no longer can, the foundation in his honor works to help kids shift their mindset to be positive and enthusiastic about every opportunity they get to do.

"I think he would be proud really of the impact that we've made in such a short amount of time, but the coach in him would say there is more work to be done, there's still greater reach that we can do," Nate said. 

If you would like to take part in the Get To Foundation's June golf fundraiser, or donate to the organization, visit their website at GetToFoundation.org.