For the past four years, Hunkapi Programs, an equine therapy farm in Scottsdale, has provided therapeutic services for first responders struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The farm has recently received a generous donation of $10,000 from Lerner & Rowe Gives Back, a nonprofit organization dedicated to extensive community outreach programs, that will be used to fund the next cohort of first responders.

“Each day first responders and their families make personal sacrifices in an effort to protect and serve our local communities,” Kevin Rowe, founder of Lerner and Rowe Gives Back, said in a press release. “That is why our team is honored to help fund the expansion of Hunkapi’s therapeutic programs that provide valuable healing and coping tools to vulnerable frontline workers who suffer from PTSD. We truly appreciate all that Hunkapi does to ensure that the needs of those who look after our best interests are looked after too.”

The first responder program began in January 2019 and provides equine somatic experiencing and meditation to first responders and veterans looking for tools to reduce their stress, according to the release.

“It is widely understood that first responders are at a greater risk of PTSD because of the nature of their work,” said Terra Schaad, founder of Hunkapi Programs. “We have seen how beneficial this program is and the impact that it has on the first responders in our community.”

Lerner & Rowe Gives Back will be presenting the check at Hunkapi Programs, 12051 N. 96 Street, on Thursday, Sept. 21.