Nacogdoches Hero Foundation
Who we are
Foundation Board Members
Each of our board members have a true passion for supporting our local community of Veterans, Active-Duty Military, and First Responders. Whether they have served themselves or have family members who have served, their dedication to this foundation is immeasurable.
Our Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide comprehensive support and resources to Nacogdoches County veterans, first responders, and their families; honoring their service and fostering community appreciation for their sacrifice.
Nacogdoches Hero Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
We are honored to ensure all proceeds stay in Nacogdoches County serving our local Heroes.
How Can I Help Out? Donate? Support?
EventS Spotlight
Fourth Annual Banquet
4th Annual Hero Banquet November 5th, 2026 Nacogdoches County Exposition & Civic Center.
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Today we remember them all.
The firefighters and the police officers. The medics and the chaplains. The office workers, the travelers, the strangers who reached back for one another in the dark.
Ordinary people who, in one impossible moment, showed us the very best of what we can be.
Twenty-five years later, we carry their names, and we keep the promise.
We will never forget. 🇺🇸
#neverforget
Photos from Nacogdoches Fire & Rescue's post
Yamel Merino was 24 years old, an emergency medical technician with MetroCare Ambulance, and the mother of a young son she was raising on her own in Yonkers. She had not had an easy road to that uniform. She left high school before finishing, later earned her GED, and after her son was born she trained and became a certified EMT, working her way up from the transport division to the 911 crews who answer the hardest calls. In 1999, her company named her EMT of the Year. She was hoping to go back to school one day to become a nurse.
She knew the work carried risk, and every night she prayed to be kept safe for her son's sake. On the morning of September 11, she and her partner drove their ambulance down toward the towers, among the first crews to arrive, and set up to treat the injured and the frightened as they poured out of the buildings. She was doing exactly that, caring for the wounded near the South Tower, when it came down. She was one of the first responders lost that day, and her name is carved now at the memorial among the others who ran toward the danger instead of away from it.
She was 24.
#neverforget #NacogdochesHeroFoundation #nacogdochestx
Contact Nacogdoches Hero Foundation
Contact US
Contact the Nacogdoches Hero Foundation board members to learn more about our mission, donation opportunities, and how you can help support the Nacogdoches community.