BUILT FOR
THOSE WHO SERVED.

HERO Foundation began with a simple belief: healing happens when people find connection, purpose, and a reason to keep moving forward. For Zach, that healing began in an unexpected place: a dive shop.

Zach is a Marine Corps veteran and now a member of our board. But before HERO Foundation had a name, Zach had reached a point where the frustration was heavy, and he knew something had to change.

At the time, Zach was facing mental health challenges and looking for a new path forward. One day, carrying that frustration and unsure where to turn, he was driving around when he spotted 3rd Reef Divers. Something about that moment made him stop and walk inside.

There, he met Larry, who told him about the NAUI GI Bill program for veterans. After stopping in the shop and meeting Larry, Zach was in the classroom the very next evening, beginning an Open Water class with one of HERO’s founders, who had recently become a NAUI instructor.

During the first pool session, Zach was quiet and didn’t say much. But as the course continued, small conversations began during breaks and before and after class. When Zach learned he was training with a fellow veteran, trust began to grow. Those conversations became the start of a friendship.

Zach completed his Open Water certification, continued his training, and kept showing up to dive. In less than a year, he and his instructor had logged more than 100 dives together.

For his 100th dive, Taysia, CEO of 3rd Reef Divers, joined them. It was more than a milestone. It was a celebration of progress, friendship, and the power of finding a community that helps you keep going. And yes, there were homemade sourdough Pop-Tarts.

Zach has shared that diving helped him through a time when frustration felt heavy and he was searching for a way forward. What began as a stop at a dive shop became a regular part of his life, giving him new challenges, lasting friendships, and a community to belong to.

Today, Zach is a divemaster working professionally in diving, and the impact has reached beyond him. HERO Foundation’s work is rooted in moments like this: one person finding purpose, then helping others discover it too.

That experience also revealed something important. As veterans, first responders, and public servants, we often think service only means helping someone else. But through diving with Zach and others, we saw that connection, challenge, and shared purpose were helping us as well.

That realization helped inspire HERO Foundation.

Zach’s story is part of our beginning, but it is also a reminder of why we continue. Sometimes the path forward starts with a single step, a single conversation, or a single dive.

If you believe in helping those who serve stay connected, supported, and operational, we invite you to be part of the HERO mission.