The Arizona First Responders Foundation was founded by its members,  members that were searching for something that they wanted, but couldn’t quite put their finger on it.  There was a real need for real conversations about life, healing and family and it was because of this need that an idea was born.  First Responders all over the United States have placed the stigma of mental health in a box, a box that never gets opened or spoken about; because that’s what we do. We are taught to deal with it and move on.  The issue is that instead of moving on, we struggle at some point in our career and this becomes our battle.  Battles are difficult to win when you don’t have the right tools and people around you and as we thought about this, the Mission of our Foundation was born.

Adam Shuckhart, the original founder and one of my brothers in the Fire Department, recognized that this stigma is real, and together we realized it through our own individual struggles. Our realization became our mission as we set out to help our fellow brothers and sisters. We started the healing process by organizing off duty sporting events after being on a typical 24 hour shift. A no pressure light hearted pick up game; soccer, softball, racket ball and eventually to our current popular sport, Pickle Ball.  Pickle Ball gave us an outlet to get together and decompress from our stressful jobs as firefighters before coming home and bearing this stress to our families and friends.

The concept gained traction when the game of Pickle Ball demonstrated to us that this game is for everyone.  Different skill levels, ages and body types could engage in a sport that brooded competition, conversation and eventually led to stress reduction.  The light bulb went off and we started down the rabbit hole. Adam fortunately had an old tennis court in his back yard which was quickly converted to a pickle ball court and the games began. It took a few months, but eventually the few became many and the many spread the word.

After a few years we had our 1st official Pickle Ball tournament dedicated to metal health awareness for First Responders. We had 32 teams of firefighters, an entire building filled with wives, husbands, kids and friends all joined for the same cause; raising mental health awareness in our industry. Raising $15k plus dollars with a donation to the fire department with a simple ask; the money given would be earmarked for Scottsdale Firefighter mental wellness.  

Our pathway is long, and our struggle is real.  The hope of our Foundation is to bring awareness to our members thru activities and bring action to helping others find their path to overall wellness while dealing with mental health not by ourselves but together.

~Chad