This June, Visible proudly announced the second cohort of its annual Visible Connect Accelerator Program, which supports nonprofit organizations changing their communities using mobile technology. In partnership with Uncharted, Visible Connect awards each nonprofit in the accelerator a $15,000 financial grant and free mobile devices with one year of Visible service. Visible and Uncharted will work alongside these game-changing entrepreneurs to help them elevate their organizations and connect them with the resources, services, expertise and relationships they need to accelerate their impact.

For the next week, we’ll continue to introduce an inspiring nonprofit within our cohort, honing in on how they’re using mobile technology to create meaningful change in our community.
Betsey and Chris Mercado are a husband and wife team who co-founded Objective Zero, a mobile app that helps combats suicide within the military community by enhancing access to wellness resources and peer support. Objective Zero is led by an entire team of volunteers and Chris Mercado is currently serving as a Major in the U.S. Army.
The story behind the vision of Objective Zero is powerful. Could you tell us how social media and a phone call led to creating the organization?
Chris Mercado: The issue of veteran and service members suicide isn’t new, but it came to my attention when one of my former squad leaders took his own life while we were serving in Afghanistan. His name is Thaddeus Montgomery, and his death left me feeling powerless. I didn’t know what I could do to make a difference, but I knew something needed to be done.
A few years later, I saw another of my other former soldiers, Justin Miller, who was also one of Thaddeus Montgomery’s squad mates, struggling with his own transition outside of the military. He had some concerning posts on social media and I called him. Right away, he said he was thinking of hurting himself. I offered to connect him with a professional and he said he would rather just talk. At the time, I wasn’t a trained peer supporter and I wasn’t really sure what I should do, but I stayed on the line for about six hours and at the end of the call, he said he felt better and just wanted someone to listen.
It was after that phone call I realized there is a greater problem. Justin’s experience isn’t unique and many other veterans and service members are going through the same exact thing. I thought if we could replicate what Justin and I did at scale by using mobile technology, we could create an avenue/opportunity to save people’s lives through the simple act of listening.
Who is the app designed for?
Chris Mercado: The app is for the entire military community, which we have defined broadly. We’ve included tools and resources for active duty service members, reserves, National Guard, veterans, military spouses and families, and the app is free to download and use.
Betsey Mercado: We have a variety of resources and activities within the app, including connections to therapy/service animals, veteran owned businesses, podcasts, yoga, meditation, and mental health resources from the Veterans Administration and other military partners. We also leverage the app to train and connect users with a peer-support network in their time of need. All of the training needed for volunteers, or ambassadors, is included on how to coach those in need and how to recognize the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

Why did you decide to leverage mobile technology?
Chris Mercado: Using mobile technology has helped us to overcome barriers other avenues can create. For example, by using mobile technology, we can apply filters that will help create the most meaningful connections possible. That way, a veteran who served in Iraq or Afghanistan has the ability to connect to another veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan. Or maybe a female can connect to another female. Those filters really aren’t available on any other platform and using mobile app technology has given us that ability.
Betsey Mercado: The highest rate of suicide for veterans and service members are males between the ages of 18 and 34. And individuals in this age group also tend to have a phone in their hand or one that is easily accessible. So we are able to reach this population by offering resources on mobile devices.
Is there a success story you could share?
Betsey Mercado: We had a Marine veteran in Washington that was living out of car. He had the Objective Zero app on his phone and had reached out to a peer support ambassador in the same service area. Over time, that relationship grew. Not only was our peer supporter able to help this veteran find a safe place for the night, but he went so far as to help him find a job and get him in stable housing. Objective Zero is all about building relationships and social connection, because if you call a hotline, you don’t always get to talk to the same person each time. Which is why this is probably one of my favorite stories.
Chris Mercado: In my own experience, I actually had one of my former soldiers reach out to me through the app. At first, I didn’t know he was one of my former soldiers, but I learned he was struggling with alcohol abuse and unemployment, and his family was trying to handle his transition out of the military. A year later, this individual is employed, alcohol free and his marriage is stronger than ever.
Betsey Mercado: I think the ultimate success story is our co-founder Justin. His story is just so incredible and so inspiring that I think he’s the true hero of Objective Zero and the true hero of our story as an organization. In just four years, his ability to be vulnerable and share what he’s gone through is now truly helping to save people’s lives.
