Arizona First Responders Foundation

The Arizona First Responders Foundation was founded by its members—members who were searching for something they knew they needed, but couldn’t quite put their finger on. There was a real need for honest conversations about life, healing, and family. Out of that need, an idea was born.

First responders across the United States have placed the stigma of mental health in a box—a box that rarely gets opened or talked about—because that’s what we’re taught to do. Deal with it. Move on. The problem is, we don’t always move on. At some point in our careers, many of us struggle. And that struggle becomes our battle. Battles are hard to win without the right tools and the right people around you. As we reflected on that truth, the mission of our Foundation came to life.

Adam Shuckhart, the original founder and one of my brothers in the fire department, recognized that this stigma was real. Together, through our own individual struggles, we realized something had to change. That realization became our mission—to serve our brothers and sisters in the first responder community.

We began the healing process in a simple way: organizing off-duty sporting events after a typical 24-hour shift. No pressure. Lighthearted pickup games—soccer, softball, racquetball—and eventually what has become our most popular outlet: pickleball. Pickleball gave us a place to gather, decompress, and process the stress of our jobs before carrying it home to our families and friends.

The concept gained traction when we realized pickleball truly is a game for everyone. Different skill levels, ages, and body types could compete, connect, and engage. It fostered competition, conversation, laughter—and ultimately stress relief. The light bulb went off. Adam had an old tennis court in his backyard that we quickly converted into a pickleball court, and the games began. At first, it was just a few of us. Over time, the few became many, and the many spread the word.

After a few years, we hosted our first official pickleball tournament dedicated to mental health awareness for first responders. We had 32 teams of firefighters, an entire building filled with wives, husbands, kids, and friends—all united for one cause: raising awareness for mental health in our profession. We raised over $15,000 and donated those funds back to the fire department with one simple request—that the money be earmarked specifically for Scottsdale firefighter mental wellness.

Our path is long, and the struggle is real. But the hope of our Foundation is this: to bring awareness to our members through connection and activity, and to turn that awareness into action. We help first responders find their path to overall wellness—not alone, but together.