Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse Jason Stanford and Vanessa Livi, far left, representatives of the new nonprofit organization Frontline to Field, pose with members of Boardman Professional Firefighters Local 1176 on Wednesday morning during the presentation of a check for $2,500 to help first responders deal with the mental stress of the job.

BOARDMAN — Vanessa Livi and Jason Stanford visited the Boardman main fire station on Market Street on Wednesday morning to deliver a special check with funds from a new organization called Frontline to Field.

“We started the organization in October of 2024,” said Livi, who is the executive director. “This is our very first donation, and we wanted it to go to the Boardman Fire Department as we live here in Boardman.”

She said the idea came after Livi met Stanford while living in Florida, where her father was stationed at an Air Force base in Tampa. During a veteran’s golf outing, she got together with Stanford and found they shared a common passion for respect for those in the military and safety forces.

“It is near and dear to my heart to support those who protect us every day,” she said. “Both Jason and I have soft spots for our military and police and firemen.”

Livi followed Stanford back to Boardman, where they sat down and formed the new charity. They began working on ways to raise funds and hosted its most recent fundraiser March 1 with a paint-and-sip event at Steel Valley Brew Works at the Southern Park Mall.

The events enabled Frontline to Field to donate a check for $2,500 to the Boardman Professional Firefighters Local 1176. Livi said the money will go toward helping firefighters with the mental stress of the job.

“This check will go into a fund created to assist our crew members who may need help in dealing with mental issues,” said Local 1176 President Brian Hallquist. “We have a younger group going on calls who see things they shouldn’t at age 18 to 20.”

He said the emergencies his members respond to can devastate a younger person. The mental stress needs to be dealt with, but that is hard to find sometimes.

“There are not a lot in this area that offer mental health support for first responders,” he said. “This fund will help cover treatment co-pays and traveling expenses if they have to go outside the county for help.”

He said Boardman has 38 full-time, career firefighters. They work 24 hours on and 48 hours off, which means the average work week is 56 hours. Last year, the department responded to more than 5,600 calls, which equals about 16 calls per day. Those calls were for fires, medical assistance, vehicle crashes and calls for service.

Hallquist said the calls can come in bunches, which happened on Wednesday during the check presentation. Two rescue trucks left the station on Market Street and headed in two different directions. Often, the trucks will wrap up one call and be immediately dispatched to another without returning to the station, which adds to the stress.

Livi and Stanford said they were very pleased with what their donation will go toward. Stanford gave a talk to the Boardman crews on Wednesday and added that he would like to plan some fun events to help first responders.

He suggested a bowling match or pickleball tournament that could be police versus fire, or maybe a neighboring fire department as a challenger. Other goals he has for the charity include looking into scholarships for inner-city kids, starting an equine therapy program and a mentorship program teaming up a veteran and local athlete.

“This July, we are having a golf outing at Little Mountain Country Club to raise funds,” Stanford said. “Our goal for 2025 is to raise $100,000.”

Stanford’s cousins in Arizona serve as police chief and on the S.W.A.T. team. With that in mind, the new charity has branches set up there and funds raised in Arizona and at another location in Colorado will stay in those areas to help the veterans, military members, police and firefighters. Boardman remains the charity’s headquarters.

Anyone wanting to donate or volunteer can email Livi and Stanford at FrontlinetoField@gmail.com or call 520-404-9234.