EAGAN, Minn. — Khyree Jackson achieved his lifelong dream of being drafted by an NFL team.

Now, his parents are making sure his other goal of impacting underprivileged youth also is accomplished.

Khyree tragically passed away in a car accident on July 6, 2024, just three months after the Vikings drafted him in the fourth round.

His mom and dad, Ebbony and Raymond, launched the Khyree Jackson Foundation the following April.

"This foundation is keeping Khyree's legacy alive," Raymond said. "I think sometimes when people lose a loved one … you kind of just let things sit, you never get back to it. So we wanted to do something kind of early — to keep us busy, to help with the grieving process and make sure we go in hands-first in something to keep his legacy alive. Do a lot of the things he wanted to do, things he loved to do."

Khyree's family says his journey was defined by his unwavering determination, perseverance and a "never give up" spirit. These qualities are now central to the foundation, ensuring Khyree's legacy of resilience and hard work continues to inspire others.

Ebbony and Raymond helped design "Khyree's Locker of Hope." The physical locker serves as a symbol for the initiative that provides athletic equipment to underserved youth in Minnesota and Khyree's home state of Maryland.

"It's just beautiful," Ebbony said of the locker wrapped in an image of Khyree. "The only thing we've been able to do is just hope — some days are a little better than other days. Seeing the locker, we'll be able to take it with us anytime we do outreach events, community events, and people can see … this is something Khyree wanted to do. He wanted to give back, and we're just stepping into his shoes and doing what we know he wanted."

In addition to community outreach and hosting youth football camps, the Khyree Jackson Foundation funds two different scholarships to support students who share Khyree's determined spirit in reaching their educational goals and professional dreams.

Ebbony and Raymond's efforts through the foundation have profoundly impacted Vikings outside linebacker Dallas Turner, who teamed at Alabama with Khyree before the corner transferred to Oregon. Dallas and Khyree were then reunited as 2024 draft picks by Minnesota, spending three months together realizing their NFL dreams before the accident that claimed Khyree's life.

"If you understand who Khyree was and what type of a person he was, he was a leader. He had the alpha dog, the leader mentality," Dallas reflected recently. "He had a very good relationship with his younger brother, Kolston. He was the only child for a minute until his brother was born, and you could just tell how big of a heart he had toward other people because of his circumstances.

"He was a very loving person when it comes to leading people in the right direction, especially the youth, and being a figure for other people that he didn't have growing up," Dallas added. "There are still good things being said and done related to his name even though he's not here with us. His parents are doing such a good job [with the] foundation and [keeping his memory] alive."

It's why the Vikings this year have chosen to honor the Jackson family with the Inspire Change Changemaker Award. The award recognizes a person or family in each NFL team market who is making a difference in their community through social justice work, either individually or as part of a community organization.

Each Inspire Change Changemaker will receive a $10,000 donation from the NFL Foundation, paid directly to a nonprofit organization of their choice.

The Vikings Social Justice Committee, a player-led group, voted on this year's recipient; the Jacksons rose to the top by an overwhelming margin.

"It's so well-deserved," said Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell, who surprised Ebbony and Raymond with the news via video call, along with Vikings Director of Player Development Jasper Brinkley.

"With the Khyree Jackson Foundation and just the inspiration you guys are, keeping his memory and his life on all of our hearts and minds by the good you're doing … and setting such an unbelievable example for so many to see," O'Connell told the Jacksons. "The way you have stayed so strong as a family and harnessed all that love into doing such powerful things, starting the foundation and already having such an incredible impact.

"You guys know how much you mean to me; you know how much you mean to Jasper and the entire Minnesota Vikings family," he added. "So it is a huge honor for me to get to tell you this."

O'Connell proceeded to invite Ebbony and Raymond to U.S. Bank Stadium for the Vikings Inspire Change Game, which will be played against the Lions on Dec. 25. The Jacksons will be honored in-person during the upcoming divisional game.

"We want to make sure all of our Vikings family, our great fans, everybody within our organization, gets to see on the field and recognized for the impact that you are," O'Connell said. "And more importantly — most importantly — a major part of our Vikings family here with how much you mean to us."

O'Connell later reflected on the opportunity to extend the special invitation, noting their emotions and smiles upon hearing the news.

"I think back very vividly, our relationship has really grown, and you connect with people through what we've all been through, but most importantly what they've been through, and hopefully feeling the support not only from me but the organization — because that's been a really big priority for us," O'Connell said.

It seems only fitting for Raymond, Ebbony and Kolston to be in Minnesota for Christmas Day, as they truly feel a forever connection to the team that gave their son his NFL opportunity.

When the Jackson family visited in April to launch the foundation, Raymond noted how quickly Khyree felt comfortable in the Twin Cities and within the Vikings organization.

Ebbony echoed those sentiments, sharing that Khyree had called them immediately following his Top 30 visit with the Vikings leading into the NFL Draft.

"He said, 'This just feels like home. It just feels right,' " she recalled. "And you know, after his passing, hearing from Coach K.O., hearing from the GM (Kwesi Adofo-Mensah), building this relationship with Jasper and some of the players, it really does feel like what Khyree described as home.

"I've said that God knows what's going to happen before it happens," Ebbony continued, her voice heavy with emotion. "He picked the perfect team for Khyree to get drafted to because of the way they've embraced us since his passing, and the way they made Khyree feel those three months he was here. And we're just so grateful for that."

The Vikings have continued to honor Khyree's life.

Throughout what would have been his rookie season, coaches and staff wore his initials on game day in the form of lapel pins and helmet decals. His locker at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center also was left untouched until this past spring, when the Jacksons visited to spend time at the space and then carefully emptied it. Teammates regularly placed fresh flowers in the locker, and Khyree's initials were painted on the practice fields.

And while Khyree's locker no longer is there, his memory remains in tangible ways. Dallas, draft classmate J.J. McCarthy and Joshua Metellus each have a Khyree nameplate above their own lockers, and Byron Murphy, Jr., cherishes Khyree's workout shirts he was able to keep.

"It definitely means a lot to us. That was our brother. We took him in as a brother as soon as he got here," Byron said. "He was one of those guys who came in here with the right attitude, came into work every single day.

"He was like a little bro … a young guy I was trying to help out with his game; he'd ask me questions, and it was just a blessing to be around him," Byron continued. "We come out here [to the practice field], we say prayers, I've still got his shirts at my house that I keep with me."

Dallas wears a Dreamathon shirt honoring Khyree during pregame warmups for every game, appreciating the opportunity to feel his teammate on the field with him. He also represented the Khyree Foundation with custom-painted kicks for this year's My Cause My Cleats game.

"For the rest of my career, I plan on carrying his legacy out," Dallas said. "I feel like he was robbed of [what] I'm currently living, walking into this building every day.

"I feel like it's only right for me as a person, as a friend, as a brother, to carry his name on," he added.

Dallas is grateful to have deepened a relationship with Khyree's family, whom he's gotten extremely close with since Khyree's accident.

"I talk to his parents frequently. Me and his dad chop it up a lot. Whenever I get a chance to see them, I talk to his little brother," Dallas said. "You can see the way he was because of his mom and his dad. I didn't really get close with his parents until after he died, and now I understand everything — how he was — from his mom and dad. They're good people."

Emotions are similar for Jasper, who has walked closely with the Jacksons through their loss and grief journey and now considers them his own family, as well.

"His legacy will forever live on … and he'll live on here, as well," Jasper said. "I want to shout out ownership, coaches, the general manager, everybody in the organization, even the players, you know, trying to find things that always keep Khyree's name alive. As a village, that's what we're doing. I've never been anywhere that's been like this. It just touched my heart.

"To see the happiness and joy on their faces when they got the news they were coming back for this award — it's what you do it for, you know?" Jasper added. "It's love. They'll forever be a part of our fabric here. There's no denying that they feel the support, they feel the love."

As the Vikings look ahead to their next home game, they look forward to welcoming the Jacksons back to their second home and honoring them for the way they're carrying out Khyree's dream.

"I just think the world of them," O'Connell said. "To see something that's impacted their lives in a way that Khyree's passing has, how they've been fueled to make such a positive impact and what they're [doing] with the foundation … and how strongly we all feel about what it's going to do for Khyree's memory. And that's exactly what it should be, to honor such a special person."