Idaho nonprofits bring professional skier, suicide prevention advocate to Boise for film screening

By: Laura Guido - September 23, 2025

Amid Suicide Prevention Month in September, three Idaho nonprofits are bringing professional skier, ultrarunner and mental health advocate Drew Petersen to the city for a screening of his film “Feel it All” and a keynote speech. 

In 2023, Idaho had the fourth highest suicide rate in the nation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recently available data show.  

Boise-based nonprofits, The Speedy Foundation, Connection is the Cure, and Youth Mental Wellness Alliance, known as You.Me.We.All, are hosting the screening on at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Egyptian Theatre, according to a press release. Doors open at 6 p.m., and tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students.

“Deaths from despair impact every corner of our community, but together, we can create a culture where people feel seen, supported, and hopeful,” Speedy Foundation Executive Director Co-Founder Shannon Decker said in the press release. “Bringing Drew to Boise during Suicide Prevention Month is a powerful opportunity to keep building momentum for change. His story is a reminder that even when life might feel unbearable and problems seem impossible to solve, opening up to someone we trust can help us get through it; it gets better.”

Petersen grew up in Colorado and became a sponsored, professional backcountry skier at a young age. He enjoyed success in competitions and getting featured in skiing films, but told The Guardian his mental health struggles began at a young age, and they were exacerbated by numerous concussions. He eventually was diagnosed with type 2 bipolar disorder, which is characterized by periods of hypomania — lots of energy, low sleeping, partying and very focused — and then periods of depression that can last months.  

In 2017, Petersen was hit on the head by a falling rock on a ski trip. After the nearly lethal injury, his suicidal ideation became mores serious, he told the Guardian, and he reached out for help. 

The film “Feel It All,” which Petersen directed, depicts his experiences with mental health and suicidal ideation, which he will connect with the “urgent realities facing Idaho and the Mountain West,” the release said. 

“The communities I’ve been fortunate to connect with have shown me that we don’t just need these conversations around mental health, but that the people want these conversations of mental health and suicide prevention elevated,” Petersen said in the press release. “I consistently receive messages that Feel It All has saved lives and given people the courage to ask for help for the first time or finally follow through. That’s the power in talking about all of this and it’s why this series of in-person events will bring that impact to the Boise community.”

Youth Mental Wellness Alliance is a nonprofit founded by Boise School District parents looking for community solutions to meet the growing need for youth mental health support. 

Connection is the Cure is an organization provides connections through workshops, training, service projects, and other activities to those who’ve been affected by suicide, mental health, and addiction. 

The Speedy Foundation is a nonprofit named for Boise-native and three-time Olympic skier Jeret “Speedy” Peterson, who died by suicide in 2011. The organization originated in Idaho and Utah but has since expanded to other states. 

Information about the film screening can be found, and tickets may be purchased at, thespeedyfoundation.org/film.