What does it take to save a life? In Angelo Martinez’s case, it was a phone call.
In 2019, Angelo, a Marine Corps veteran, was prepared to take his life. Right in that moment, his phone rang. A Marine that Angelo had recently met called: Would Angelo join him and some other veterans in a Christmas video? So, Angelo found himself on a beach, dressed as a Navy SEAL Christmas elf, and feeling, for the first time since leaving the military, camaraderie. The sense of being among people who understood him. The phone call didn’t just save his life. It became the blueprint for saving others.
A Mission Born: Isolation to Celebration
Angelo founded The Barracks Legend Foundation (BLF) in May 2023 with a simple but urgent insight: Once service members leave the military, there are very few resources waiting for them. The transition is abrupt, the isolation is real, and the consequences are devastating. Nearly 44 veterans die by suicide every day, revealing a crisis far greater than previously reported.
BLF’s answer isn’t a hotline or a pamphlet. It’s a fishing trip. An axe throwing event. A hike. A shark dive. Creative, therapeutic, community-building experiences designed to get veterans in the same room, lower their guard, and remind them they are not alone.
“People struggle to ask for help because they feel like a burden,” Angelo says. “We aim to eliminate that feeling.”
The foundation keeps events intentionally small and intimate; most draw 10 to 30 veterans, because when groups get too large, people don’t open up. Every detail is considered. Every veteran matters. And when someone walks through the door for the first time, Angelo and his team of volunteer veterans are paying attention.
Family events are planned too, with upwards of 150 people in just the South Florida region. Veterans, their spouses, and their children all come together as a community to lift one another up and remind each other: There is support for you.
The impact shows up in the numbers and in the stories. In 2023, BLF served 300 veterans. In 2024, 2,500. And 2025, 4,500. Since its founding in May 2023, the foundation has hosted over 200 events, entirely on a volunteer basis and funded mostly through local businesses, sponsors, and veteran-owned organizations that show up because they believe in the mission.
“The biggest award,” Natalia Earle, COO and Co-Founder, says, “is hearing veteran stories and knowing the organization saved their life.”
A Foundation Growing Faster Than Its Systems
The growth has been extraordinary. And like many young nonprofits experiencing rapid momentum, the operational infrastructure wasn’t keeping up.
In the early days, finances were managed the old-fashioned way: paper receipts, Excel spreadsheets, a rough accounting of where money came in and where it went out. It worked well enough when the organization was small. But as events multiplied, community partners expanded, and grant opportunities began to emerge, it became clear that “well enough” wasn’t enough.
The first year was hard. The IRS took 10 months to approve the foundation’s paperwork, leaving only six months to raise funds. But in year two, money in grew by 300%, purely driven by local businesses, sponsors, and veteran-owned companies who rallied around the mission. The foundation was gaining real traction, and with that came a new responsibility: become financially organized enough to sustain it.
Natalia had been wearing every hat: operations, finance, grant management, and everything in between. She knew something had to change.
“It is so hard for nonprofits to survive and raise money,” she says. “It all starts with money, but if you don’t have it straight, you are going to be in trouble.”
How Chazin Came In
Natalia first connected with Chazin at a local chamber of commerce meeting. She didn’t have to think long to know it was the right fit.
Chazin came in at exactly the right moment, just ahead of The Barracks Legend’s most significant growth period and got to work building the financial foundation the organization needed to sustain what was coming. Working closely with their dedicated accountant, Natalia got QuickBooks set up properly for the first time, learned the critical differences between for-profit and nonprofit accounting, and gained the structure and oversight to run reports, track funding sources, and understand exactly where every dollar was going and coming from.
Just as importantly, Chazin trained Natalia to handle day-to-day bookkeeping herself, meeting the foundation exactly where they were financially while still building their capacity to grow.
“Working closely with my Chazin accountant, who displayed exceptional patience and teaching skills, I not only got our QuickBooks set up but also gained valuable insights into the nuances between for-profit and nonprofit entities.”
A Foundation Built to Last
Chazin provides The Barracks Legend with quarterly reviews, training, and advisory services. The ripple effects of that support reach far beyond the books.
With correct classifications in place and clean, accurate finances, BLF is now positioned to pursue the grants that will fuel what’s next. Having Chazin handle grant report preparation and IRS Form 990 filings means the foundation can pursue those opportunities with confidence rather than scrambling to get their records in order first.
“Our books are in order because of Chazin. We are ready to tackle grants because of that.”
The relationship is flexible and customizable: Natalia can adjust the level of involvement based on what their needs are at any given time. And accessibility matters just as much as the expertise; when questions come up, Chazin is easy to reach, easy to work with, and genuinely invested in their success.
She also notices something when she looks at other nonprofits: Older, more established organizations don’t have the kind of financial systems The Barracks Legend now has. The lesson she takes from that is one she’d offer to any nonprofit: Don’t wait.
“You need to set up now, before you grow too big.”
Freedom to Focus on the Mission
Angelo’s goal for the foundation has always been clear: Get into the field, be with veterans, and build the kind of community that changes and saves lives. The more time spent on bookkeeping, the less time there is for that.
“Chazin has been a godsend,” Natalia says. “It has made such a difference for our foundation so we can concentrate on our mission and our heroes.”
The partnership gives them something invaluable: confidence that their financial foundation is solid.
“Knowing someone else has eyes on it besides your own organization — that matters.”
And Angelo, whose life was saved by a phone call and a group of veterans who understood him, puts it simply: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
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