Remembering Francis and Caring for Homeless Veterans

This memorial site celebrates and honors the life of Francis D. Sommer. A decorated veteran, Francis served for five years with the 10th Mountain Division, including tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

He received treatment and volunteered at the Kansas City VA Medical Center. When he passed away on February 11, 2011, his family requested donations to the Kansas City VA to aid the most needy among our military veterans, the homeless. Francis had a special empathy for these men and women, and their families.

Since then over $30,000 has been donated to the Kansas City VA in his memory to help homeless and needy veterans. Contributions have come from all over the country, from Maine to California. As individuals, church and civic groups, veterans organizations, and businesses learned about this opportunity, donations continued to grow. As of now, more people have generously contributed who did not know Francis in life than those who were fortunate enough to know and love him.

Because staffing and administrative costs are covered by the VA, contributors can be assured that 100 percent of their donations go directly to providing goods and services for the benefit of veterans in need of assistance.

The pages and links at this website provide background on the crisis of homelessness among veterans, as well as a glimpse of Francis’s life. Letters from veterans have been included, and also links to readings and photos.

Please post the link to this site (http://www.francisfund.org/) at your Facebook page and other social networking sites. Share it with friends and community groups. Consider starting up a similar memorial fund at your regional VA. If you don’t know of a veteran for whom to name such a fund, please contribute in Francis’s name and let us know that you’ve done so.

To share in the gift of aiding homeless veterans, please send your check as follows:

Kansas City VA
Voluntary Services 135
4801 Linwood Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64128

Make checks payable to the KCVA and please note on the memo line: Francis D. Sommer Memorial Fund.

On behalf of Francis’s family, thank you for visiting.

Bob Sommer
(Francis’s father)

Updated 11/29/2019

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