Community Advocate August 2023: Mason’s Bench

At The Advocates, we know that Utah is a fantastic place to live and work, and we know that it’s all thanks to the hard-working, caring, and compassionate members of our communities. That’s why we team up with Good Things Utah each month to recognize an individual or organization that positively impacts the people around them.

For August 2023, our honoree is the Jacobson family of Perry, Utah. In April of 2022, the Jacobsons lost their 14-year-old son, Mason, to suicide. As September is National Suicide Prevention Month, the Jacobsons want to get their message out to as many people as possible.

According to his parents, Nikki and Jason, Mason was intelligent, outgoing, and hardworking. He was an avid skateboarder who enjoyed skating with his friends in Brigham City. He was also a gifted mechanic—he had recently purchased a 1994 Ford Ranger to build it out into a drift truck.

To honor his memory, his parents had the idea to build a bench out of skateboard decks and place it outside of Mason’s place of work, The Rusted Spoon in Perry. From there, the idea blossomed, and the Mason’s Bench project was born.

The Jacobson family plans to build as many skateboard benches as possible and place them at parks and other hangout spots. The goal is to increase awareness for suicide prevention and keep Mason’s memory alive.

If you would like to contribute to the Mason’s Bench project, you can donate money or skateboards to The Rusted Spoon or by contacting Nikki Jacobson on Facebook.

If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at any time of day or night, 365 days a year. You will be connected to a trained crisis counselor who will be there to listen and help you find the resources you need.

You can also find suicide prevention resources online at utahsuicideprevention.org.