IDAHO CITY, Id — Former U.S. marine Casey Carlisle died by suicide in September of 2018 and now his family and friends are using the Idaho backroads to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
Wheeling for the struggle is a camp trip organized by Casey's Smile to get people into the outdoors to play in the dirt and the mud with like-minded people.
This group told us going off-roading has two main purposes: To help friends and family cope with Casey's death and also to help other people heal from mental health issues.
“Casey was a really good kid and we just want to help people," said Michael Johnson one of the organizers of the event. "That is pretty much what Casey’s Smile is for."
Military veteran Dan Olcott suffers from PTSD that he received from a deployment in Afghanistan, Olcott said off-roading has had a big impact in his life after he got out of the military.
“Rocks, mud water and crossings I love all of it when I'm up here," said Olcott. "I have no worries, no cares, I can do what I want and if I break something I will fix it."
Casey's Smile is a relatively new group and currently they are working on putting together a non-profit in hopes of getting more people into the woods or provide counseling to people who have trouble affording it.
They are accepting donations, selling t-shirts and here is a linkto the Facebook page for Casey's Smile.
