Fran Heitzman is the founder of Bridging, a nonprofit organization that helps families in need with free furniture and household items.

Bridging started as nothing more than a good idea. Fran was the custodian at Pax Christi Church in Eden Prairie, Minn., when a member of the congregation donated a crib that he thought the church could use for its nursery. The church couldn’t use the crib, but Fran vowed to find a home for it. The rest is history – 17 years later, Bridging now serves more than 3,000 households every 12 months.

Today, Bridging is the largest free furniture warehouse in the upper Midwest. Because of Fran’s dream, more than 100,000 families have received furniture and household items free of charge.

Fran, 78, works at Bridging six days a week doing whatever is needed in the warehouse – sweeping, loading trucks, speaking to churches, and so on. Quadruple bypass surgery ten years ago didn’t slow him down a bit! His energy and zeal for life is amazing, exemplary and contagious to others.

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