NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Home with Heroes Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 2015 by the late G. Mark LaFrancis to help veterans and their families, has ended operations, Foundation President Robert Foley announced.
In an October 16 email, Foley informed his board members that the foundation had lost its 501(c)(3) designation and would no longer solicit or receive donations.
“The reason for this is because the State of Mississippi chose to send Mark an email instead of an official letter stating that our charter had to be re-registered,” Foley wrote. “As Mark was incapacitated with terminal cancer and ultimately passed away due to his illness, the request for recertification was not brought to our attention.”
The foundation’s remaining funds will be distributed to local charitable organizations, Foley wrote. He presented the following accounting of recent fundraising and donations:
* Over $5,000 was raised through the Wreaths Across America drive in December 2025.
* The foundation spent nearly $500 to host the 100th birthday celebration for U.S. Air Force veteran John “Captain Jack” Kerwin.
* In September 2026, the organization donated $2,500 to Sam Minor, the county veterans services officer, to purchase turkeys for the VFW Post 9573 turkey giveaway scheduled for November.
* This month, the foundation donated $1,500 to the local VFW Post 9573 to support a recruiting drive and an event the post hosted at the Natchez Balloon Festival.
After all checks have cleared, about $1,000 will be donated to the Stew Pot organization, Foley wrote.
“I did an unofficial survey over the past summer, and the numbers indicated to me that Stew Pot had the greatest reach to the largest number of Natchez veterans,” he said.
Foley closed his email by thanking the foundation’s board members and volunteers.
“I wanted to say that working with all of you at the clothing bank and the museum has been a highlight of my life,” he said. “I am truly grateful for all the time and effort that you have put into the Home with Heroes Foundation. I am proud of the work that we have done, and I will never forget my experience working with all of you. I am also sure that Mark would be as proud and honored for all of your efforts.”
LaFrancis, a U.S. Air Force veteran, died in June 2024 and is buried at Natchez National Cemetery. His wife, Eileen Mary Maher, died in August 2025, and is memorialized on the reverse side of his headstone.
LaFrancis founded Home with Heroes to help, honor, and serve veterans. The organization’s programs included the annual Wreaths Across America observance, outdoor veterans retreats, trips to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and other military museums, Visit-A-Vet Project for veterans who could benefit from friendly visits, donations to veteran scholarships, and the collection of U.S. flags for retirement.
According to Ben Tucker, chairman of the Home with Heroes board, LaFrancis was a prolific fundraiser who helped veterans meet food and clothing needs through the organization’s charitable efforts.
For several years, LaFrancis also helped raise funds for the annual Wreaths Across America program. That service will now be provided by VFW Post 9573, according to Gabi Crousillac, the foundation’s vice president.
In 2018, Home with Heroes opened the Miss-Lou Military Museum and Veterans Welcome/Information Center in a room provided by VFW Post 9573 at 318 Sgt. Prentiss Drive. The museum later moved to 107 Jefferson Davis Blvd., where it celebrated its grand opening on November 12, 2023. It closed in June 2025.
Anyone who contributed items to the museum and would like them returned should contact Robert Foley at rcfoley@yahoo.com.
Comments