MetLife Foundation Older Volunteers Enrich America Award...Fran Heitzman, Founder of Bridging, Inc. in Bloomington, Minnesota
receives highest honor
BLOOMINGTON, Minn., April 21 /PRNewswire/
-- The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a)
announces that Fran Heitzman of Bloomington will receive top honors
in the MetLife Foundation Older Volunteers Enrich America Awards
during a ceremony on April 28, 2006 in Washington D.C. Mr. Heitzman
is the Gold Honoree in the Community Champion Category for his work
with Bridging, Inc.
Eighteen years ago, Fran was a
maintenance man at Pax Christi Catholic Church in Eden Prairie,
Minnesota. A parishioner approached him wishing to donate a baby
crib that they no longer needed to the church nursery. Fran politely
told them that the church could not use it, but he would find a home
for it. He called a social service agency in the Twin Cities and
they were overjoyed to receive the crib.
Later that day, Heitzman came up
with the concept of Bridging, a non- profit agency that would take
items families no longer needed and give them to families in need.
At 81-years-old, Fran continues
his work on a daily basis, surrounded by a corps of over 2,000
volunteers.
Bridging, Inc., the non-profit he
started, now employs 17 full-time staff who are committed to empower
volunteers to assist with the problems of homelessness and poverty.
Fran is involved with all
components of the program, from fund raising to product procurement
to soliciting new volunteers. Fran is a dear, humble man whose
charisma and dedication to helping those in need is infectious. It
is very fitting that this award is being presented during National
Volunteer Week.
The twenty-six recipients were
selected from organizations and programs nationwide. Nominees were
required to be age 50-years or older and to have volunteered for the
program or organization for at least one year. Members of the Older
Volunteers Enrich America Awards Blue Ribbon Panel and Advisory
Board made award selections in three categories. Team Spirit Awards
honor older volunteers who assist other older adults; Mentor Awards
recognize older volunteers who work with young people and their
families; and Community Champion Awards recognize those who use
their time and talent to make their community a better place to
live. All honorees receive an engraved gift celebrating their
achievement, and each honoree's nominating organization receives a
monetary award to further its work.
Bridging, Inc.
Bridging employs seventeen
full-time employees and operates over 65,000 square feet of
warehouse in Bloomington and St. Cloud, Minnesota. In 2006, Bridging
will provide services to over 4,000 families. Since its inception,
Bridging has provided free household items and furnishings to over
32,500 families in need. Bridging relies on referrals from 140
social service agencies and the generosity of more than 2,000
volunteers who donate over 60,000 hours annually to help run the
organization. For more information on Bridging, Inc., visit
http://www.bridging.org/ .
The National Association of Area
Agencies on Aging (n4a) is the leading voice on aging issues for
Area Agencies on Aging across the country and a champion for Title
VI-Native American aging programs in our nation's capital. For more
information visit
http://www.n4a.org/