Event Description

Do you support our first responders and veterans? Do you know our firefighters and police officers are dying by suicide at a rate that has exceeded death by service? PTSD is an invisible wound that affects many of our first responders and veterans, it's something that isn't always talked about because of the stigma of anything mental health related but we are here to break that stigma. It's ok to not be ok, it's ok to tell someone that you are not ok, it's ok to need a little help.

Help us break the stigma by joining us in a week long, all ages and abilities, VIRTUAL EVENT that you can do in your own backyard, city or gym. Take this journey on your own or form a team of friends and family that will share in your passion and our cause. Fundraise and train all summer, then choose your event as we pay tribute to those first responders that served and/or were lost on 9/11.  We also pay tribute to the military that served that day and the days since, fighting against terrorists and keeping our country safe. 

Be sure to make your fundraising page and get the word out about your involvement in our cause.

* * * * WHO ARE WE? * * * * 
Our Mission Statement
Firefighters With PTSD proudly serves all first responders and veterans suffering from PTSD.  We raise, train and place both service and therapy dogs with first responders and veterans dealing with PTSD. We serve all first responders and veterans with honor and dignity. 

Founded
Firefighters With PTSD was founded by Matt Doughty in 2016 when he wanted to help first responders, like himself, bridge the gap in relation to access and resources for these brave men and women suffering from PTSD.  Firefighters With PTSD was filed as a 501(c)3 non profit organization in October of 2018 and the process was approved and finalized in June 2019.

The Why
It started with a book. Our founder, Matt Doughty, wrote a book called A Revelation where he writes about his own life experiences. When writing this book he was trying to decide how he could move that drive and passion to the next level. Matt does a lot of  public speaking to youth and thought about starting a non-profit for youth in foster care.  He did some research and quickly found that there were already a million charities out there doing great things for these kids.  As a “firefighter with PTSD” it occurred to Matt that this was the cause, the cause that had a large need and was not flooded with other organizations help.  Alot of research and planning went into forming Firefighters With PTSD.  We found what these men and women were in need of and put a road map together to help provide it.

Our Focus
Firefighters with PTSD is focused on changing the lives of first responders and veterans with PTSD.  We do this through training service dogs and raising awareness to the issues facing many of the men and women in these positions.

 · Service Dogs. We breed, raise and train service, therapy and emotional support dogs for first responders and veterans with PTSD.  Our training is done with the help of  our partners; Solid Results K9  (Corey Doebber) and Off Leash K9 (Becca Curtis). In our training program first responders and veterans get to train their dogs, hands on through the whole process of becoming a service dog. This gives them extra confidence and a stronger bond with their dog for years to come. 

· Awareness. Raising awareness of PTSD in our first responders and veterans.  We do this through events and bringing our dogs out into the community to train while being approachable. This is a great opportunity to not only train and polish our dogs skills but to educate the public, answer questions and show how service dogs can impact the lives of first responders and veterans. 

For more information or resources visit our website www.firefighterswithptsd.org