Adel family plans to give scholarships in honor of son who died by suicide
Caelen Peterson died by suicide at age 14. His parents are honoring him by providing scholarships to students who plan to go into the mental health field.
Caelen Peterson died by suicide at age 14. His parents are honoring him by providing scholarships to students who plan to go into the mental health field.
Caelen Peterson died by suicide at age 14. His parents are honoring him by providing scholarships to students who plan to go into the mental health field.
Caelen Peterson was a typical 14-year-old. The oldest of three brothers, he was their protector. Peterson loved animals. He was always finding creatures on his parents' acreage in Adel. Most of all, Peterson never missed a chance to make his family laugh.
"The jokes. He was so funny. The chaos. He had a mouth on him. He was so funny," said Caelen Peterson's mom, Lindsey Peterson.
Lindsey and Dale Peterson say their family has not been the same since Feb. 8, 2023.
"No one ever thinks it's going to happen to them. We can show them, yes, it can happen to you," said Lindsey Peterson.
Caelen Peterson died by suicide. His parents say they believe he made a rash decision after experiencing bullying at school.
"We thought he was a regular teenaged boy. I mean, he was. He called us when he got into trouble, when we needed to pick him up. He would do the stupid things. We had access to his phone, to his computers. We had access to all of that, and this was never an option we thought for him. Like, it was never a concern, or there were never signs of a concern," said Lindsey Peterson.
After more than two years of shock and grief, the Petersons now hope to use their son's story to save others. With the help of friends, they have created the Caelen Peterson Memorial Scholarship Fund. They plan to use the fund to provide a $5,000 scholarship annually to a graduate of Adel DeSoto Minburn High School who plans to go into the mental health field.
"To make a difference, it's going to take these kids doing something. The more of these kids that go into mental health fields, the better chance we have in the future for providing mental health services to the youth," said Dale Peterson.
In the future, the Petersons say they would also like to use the fund to support students obtaining their GED certificates and those going into trade school who need help purchasing the tools. Caelen Peterson had plans to go into either trade school or the military once he graduated.
Several community fundraising events are scheduled for this summer, with all proceeds going to the Caelen Peterson Memorial Scholarship Fund.
On Saturday, July 19, a summer block party will be held from noon until 10 p.m. at the Community Stage and Pavilion located at the corner of 10th Street and Main Street in Adel. There will be food trucks, family activities, music and dancing.
On Saturday, Aug. 2, a poker run will be held that includes a ride around Dallas County. Grems Pit Happens BBQ will be on-site, and the Dick Danger Band will be playing that evening. It's $20 per driver and $10 per passenger. All street-legal rides are welcome. Same-day registration is also accepted.
Local mental health agencies will be on the scene at both events. Parents can reach out to the Caelen Peterson Memorial Foundation, which can help direct them to the proper resources.
The Caelen Peterson Memorial Scholarship Fund is set up at Lincoln Savings Bank. People can stop and make a donation, or Venmo a donation to @cpscholarship. All donations are tax deductible.
The Peterson family hopes this fund will spread awareness about suicide prevention and the importance of mental health services.
"It gives us a chance to get out in the community, get in touch with people that need the information, and hopefully, by doing that, we can help more people," said Dale Peterson.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can talk with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or sending a text message to 988, or you can .