From One Brave Story to a Growing Movement: Drew Petersen and The Speedy Foundation
Sometimes the most meaningful partnerships begin with a simple message: Thank you for telling the truth.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, professional skier and filmmaker Drew Petersen published a deeply personal essay in Outside titled We Need to Talk About Mental Health in the Mountains. At a time when so many people were struggling behind closed doors, Drew chose vulnerability. He gave language to experiences that are often hidden—particularly in outdoor and athletic communities, where achievement, toughness, and adventure can create the illusion that someone is immune to depression or crisis.
Shannon Decker, co-founder and executive director of The Speedy Foundation, reached out—not with a proposal or an agenda, but simply to commend Drew for his honesty and advocacy.
That first message became a conversation. The conversation became a friendship. And over time, that friendship became a partnership that has touched students, families, schools, and communities across Tahoe and Boise.
Showing Up in Tahoe
When Drew was living in Truckee, Shannon invited him to introduce himself to the Tahoe Truckee Suicide Prevention Coalition. It was an opportunity for him to meet the people doing local prevention work and to better understand how community-based suicide prevention happens: through relationships, education, collaboration, and many small acts of showing up.
Drew did exactly that.
He joined The Speedy Foundation at World Cup outreach booths at Palisades Tahoe—not as the featured athlete or the person at the center of attention, but as part of the volunteer team. He talked with community members, helped share resources, and saw prevention work from our side of the table. Those hours mattered. They gave Drew a closer look at what it means to meet people where they are and create approachable opportunities to talk about mental health.
After Drew moved back to Colorado, the relationship continued. The Speedy Foundation hired him to develop and deliver programming for the Truckee-Tahoe community. He visited local middle and high schools, screened his films Ups + Downs and Feel It All, and led conversations that helped young people see mental health through a human, relatable lens. He also participated in community programs that invited adults, families, educators, and outdoor enthusiasts into the conversation.
Drew brought more than a film or a presentation. He brought the credibility of someone willing to speak honestly about pain, healing, and the ongoing work of caring for his mental health.
From a Personal Choice to Zero Proof for You
As Drew shared his evolving mental health journey, he also talked about changing his relationship with alcohol and ultimately eliminating it from his life. His experience highlighted an important gap in many mountain communities: alcohol is woven into celebrations, social events, après culture, networking, and belonging, while appealing alcohol-free options can be difficult to find.
That insight helped inspire a larger question: What would it look like to create more spaces where people could connect, celebrate, and belong without alcohol?
The Speedy Foundation pursued grant funding from the Katz Amsterdam Foundation through the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation to develop what is now Zero Proof for You. The campaign is beginning to roll out through community partnerships across Tahoe, encouraging local businesses and events to offer thoughtful alcohol-free choices while opening conversations about wellness, inclusion, and the many valid reasons someone may choose not to drink.
On St. Patrick’s Day 2026, a day very connected to alcohol, Drew returned to Truckee and co-hosted community trivia at Alibi Ale Works to promote the launch of the newly community-designed Zero Proof, For You campaign. It was a joyful, approachable extension of the same work: creating a place where people could gather, connect, have fun, and make conversations about mental health part of ordinary community life.
What began as one person sharing an honest part of his mental health journey helped shape a community initiative designed to make healthier choices more visible, accessible, and socially supported.
Bringing Hope to Boise
The connection between Drew and The Speedy Foundation eventually expanded beyond Tahoe.
Following the cluster of youth suicides in Boise in 2023, The Speedy Foundation advocated for the Boise School District to adopt Hope Squad, a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program that equips students to recognize warning signs, support one another, and connect peers with trusted adults. The district moved forward with the program, and its Hope Squads are now building a powerful culture of connection and help-seeking in Boise schools.
During the 2025–26 school year, The Speedy Foundation brought Drew to Boise State’s Bronco Bold atheltes at the Stueckle Sky Center and to the Boise School District. He screened his films at the high schools and spent time with Hope Squad students at the middle schools. These visits brought together two forms of prevention that are central to our work: honest storytelling and peer connection.
For students, Drew’s presence offered something rare. They could hear from an accomplished professional athlete who did not present a polished story with every struggle tied neatly into a bow. Instead, he modeled that strength can include asking for help, changing course, making difficult choices, and continuing to care for yourself.
The visit culminated in an unforgettable community film screening at Boise’s historic Egyptian Theatre, where people gathered not only to watch Drew’s work, but to take part in a larger conversation about mental health, hope, and what becomes possible when vulnerability is met with compassion.
Coming Full Circle at Legacy of Hope
This weekend, Drew returns to Boise for Legacy of Hope, as The Speedy Foundation celebrates 15 years of turning compassion into action.
His return feels like a full-circle moment—but it is also a reminder that this story is still unfolding.
A message sent during the isolation of COVID became a friendship. A friendship grew into outreach at Palisades Tahoe, films and conversations in Truckee-Tahoe schools, community programming, an alcohol-free wellness campaign, Hope Squad visits, and a packed theater in Boise. Now Drew will share more about his story, his impact, and his connection to The Speedy Foundation with the community that helped give our organization its start.
Drew’s relationship with The Speedy Foundation reflects what we have believed since 2011: meaningful change often begins when one person is brave enough to tell the truth and another person takes the time to listen.
From there, we build.
We build relationships. We build programs. We build communities where people feel seen, where asking for help is a sign of strength, and where hope becomes something we practice together.
We are honored to welcome Drew Petersen back to Boise—and grateful for every chapter of this partnership still ahead.
Join us for Legacy of Hope
Legacy of Hope celebrates 15 years of The Speedy Foundation and the people who have helped turn compassion into action since 2011. Drew Petersen will share his story and his connection to the Foundation during the Legacy of Hope benefit dinner on September 25, 2026, at Payette Brewing in Boise.
References and Related Links
Drew Petersen: We Need to Talk About Mental Health in the Mountains — Outside
Drew Petersen helps bring mountain communities together to talk about mental health — CBS News
Skier Drew Petersen on shredding powder and stigmas around mental health — The Guardian
If you or someone you know is struggling or experiencing a mental-health or suicide crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If there is an immediate danger or medical emergency, call 911.
Help Us Continue This Work
The Speedy Foundation works to prevent suicide and elevate mental health action through education, advocacy, and honest conversations. Your support helps us provide trainings, resources, and programs that bring help, hope, and connection to communities.