Mentor, supportive, involved, giving: all of these words have been used to describe Colorado Mesa University (CMU) graduate Tanner Denton.
Tanner Denton was raised in Grand Junction and attended Central High School. He was known for his kindness and inclusivity by all those who surrounded him. “He was always such a giving person; he knew no enemies. He had a large circle of friends. He was always very close to his teachers and his coaches. He was dragging home stray animals all the time,” Tanner’s mother, Allison Vogel, said.
In 2016, a fatal car accident claimed the life of this beloved individual. His passing, however, did nothing to stop him from giving back to others. Tanner was a registered organ, eye and tissue donor and, while he was still here, he advocated heavily for his family and community members to join him in becoming donors themselves.
Tanner’s legacy lives on in the community as well as the 122 individuals who, after his passing, were able to receive donations, including both of his kidneys, one cornea and several samples of tissue. His story has also raised the overall number of organ, eye and tissue donors in Grand Junction by 3% since 2016.
Donor Alliance is the organization with whom Tanner chose to register. Every year for the past twenty years, the nonprofit has designated one of their donors as an honoree in the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, California. This year, their choice was Tanner.
“We chose Tanner because of the theme this year: lifting each other up. We [heard] his story about being a mentor to others and about being supportive of the community by helping people [who are] experiencing homelessness [and]helping animals that needed rescuing. He was just a really wonderful person,” Director of Public Relations and Communications for Donor Alliance Cheryl Talley said.
On November 18, Donor Alliance held an event in which Tanner’s family and friends gathered in the hospitality suite of Suplizio Field to celebrate his life and to finish his commemorative floragraph. The floragraph features a portrait of Tanner that has been handcrafted out of natural materials such as seeds and ground coffee.
The piece will be sent to Pasadena and will appear among 43 more floragraphs of individuals with similar stories on the principal float that presents the theme and features a Chinese dragon, which symbolizes good fortune, strength, life and prosperity – everything that Tanner has blessed others with, with his donations.
Whether he was on the field helping coach Central High School’s baseball team or volunteering at shelters around the community, Tanner’s selfless spirit was said to be contagious.
The Tournament of Roses will air on Monday, January 2, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. MST on NBC.
Allison Denton, Tanner’s mom, is finishing off her son’s flower seed portrait.
This portrait will be sent off to Passadena, CA and added to a float with 43 other honored donors.
