Ride2Zero motorcycle ride June 25 to raise veteran suicide awareness, support Smiling Goat Ranch services
U.S. Navy veteran Nick Crandell of Parachute lost his friend and fellow veteran Josh Rew of Silt last year to suicide, inspiring Crandell to create an event to help raise awareness around Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among veterans.
His brainchild, the Ride2Zero motorcycle ride from Fruita to Rifle on June 25, calls attention to PTSD Awareness Month and is aimed at addressing the reported 22 veteran suicides that occur each day in the United States, a news release states. Cars are also welcome to join.
The event is a fundraiser for Smiling Goat Ranch near Carbondale, which provides equine therapy and other services free of charge to veterans and their families. The ranch also serves autism families, children and adults with anxiety, depression and related conditions, and people in addiction recovery.
“Our vets are being failed on a regular basis on getting the resources they need to help them heal from PTSD,” Crandall said in the release. “Our mission is to shrink this number to zero a day by offering the resources the veterans need.”
The cost to participate in the ride is $20 for preregistration and $25 day of the ride. A ceremony for the Rew family will start at 9:30 a.m. at the Vietnam War Memorial in Fruita, and the ride begins at 10 a.m.
The ride follows Interstate 70 eastbound to De Beque, then U.S. Highway 6 to the Highway 13 bypass in Rifle to a post-ride reception at Veterans Memorial Park near Deerfield Park.
Participants are encouraged to register in advance at http://www.westernsloperide2zero.com. Onsite registration takes place from 8:30–9:30 a.m. in Fruita.
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