Seven More Students Receive “A Chance to Get a Good Start”

6/8/19

Seven graduating seniors from Kenosha County high schools have earned the Herman and Virginia Gundlach Scholarships, distributed by the Kenosha Community Foundation:

• Justice Brooks, Reuther Central High School
• Brandon Davis, Tremper High School
• Nathaniel Foster, Tremper High School
• Peyton Hoff, Bradford High School
• Gabriella Kaebisch, Central High School
• Kailey LaLond, Reuther Central High School
• Hedaia Zaher, Indian Trail High School and Academy

To receive the $3,500 scholarship Gundlach Scholarship, students must attend a college or university in Wisconsin. This year, 23 students from Kenosha County’s eight public high schools applied for the scholarship.

Since the fund’s inception in 1996, the Kenosha Community Foundation has awarded more than $350,000 in Herman and Virginia Gundlach Scholarships. Over the last five years (2015-2019), the foundation has awarded $120,500 in Gundlach Scholarships to 39 Kenosha County students.

The scholarship fund was established the late Herman Gundlach, a Marquette University graduate, who in 1936, was the first certified public accountant in Kenosha. Herman also served as the longtime treasurer of the Hawthorn Hollow Nature Center.

Herman, who died in 1996, and his wife Virginia, who died in 1978, firmly believed in the virtues of education. They established the scholarship fund based on their belief that “the scholarship should be for only the first year of college — a chance to get a good start.”

25 More Organizations Helped for Good, Forever

12/28/16

The Herman Gundlach Fund of the Keweenaw Community Foundation (KCF) has announced it will award $19,276.26 in additional funds to 25 local organizations; the individual grant amounts range from $200 to $5,000.
The grant recipients are:

• Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter
• Bay Cliff Health Camp
• Boy Scouts of America-Bay Lakes Council
• Calumet Theatre
• Calumet Art Center
• Copper Country Community Arts Council
• Copper Country Girl Scouts
• Copper Country Habitat for Humanity
• Copper Country Humane Society
• 31 Backpacks
• Copper Country United Way
• Keweenaw Random Acts of Kindness
• Finlandia University Scholarship
• Goodwill Farm “Read to Ride” Program
• Keweenaw Family Resource Center
• Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
• Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly
• Omega House
• Pine Mountain Music Festival
• Salvation Army Kids Food Program
• SKY (Simple Kindness for Youth)
• Peter and Paul Lutheran Church
• U.P. KIDS
• Community Impact Fund of KCF
• KCF Administrative Operating Fund

Earlier in the 2016 granting cycle, the Gundlach fund awarded $69,531.75 to 17 community non-profits through their donor-advised endowment. Donor-advised funds are established at the bequest of a donor wishing to provide flexible capital for charitable activities while retaining the ability to make annual grant recommendations to specific projects or interest areas. Upon the death of Herman Gundlach  in 2005, instructions were laid out about how to continue his legacy of giving back to the community he grew up in and worked in. Through the Herman Gundlach Fund, Winks continues to leave his mark on the community he loved.

For more information on giving or grant opportunities, please visit the KCF website (www.keweenawgives.org) or email mail@k-c-f.org. To be placed on KCF’s request for proposals list, please email your contact information to mail@k-c-f.org. You will be notified when grants become available.

Tax deductible contributions may be made to the Herman Gundlach Fund (or to any of KCF’s 70+ other funds) online at www.keweenawgives.org.  All contributions to a permanent endowment of KCF qualify for a Federal Tax Credit.

17 Local Organizations Awarded Grants Ranging from $1,375 to $5,000

9/7/16

Hancock, Michigan—The Herman Gundlach Fund of the Keweenaw Community Foundation (KCF) has announced it will award $69,531.75 to 17 local organizations to fund projects addressing community needs. The individual grant amount ranges from $1,375 to $5,000.

Donor-advised funds are established at the bequest of a donor wishing to provide flexible capital for charitable activities while retaining the ability to make annual grant recommendations to specific projects or interest areas. From captain of the Houghton High School and Harvard University football teams to a captain of industry, Herman “Winks” Gundlach Jr. was a man of many passions. Besides being a successful businessman, he was a prominent activist. Upon his death at age 91 in 2005, instructions were laid out about how to continue his legacy of giving back to the community he grew up in and worked in. Through the Herman Gundlach Fund, Winks continues to leave his mark on the community he loved.

Originally, $30,000 was the amount available for this period of funding, but after receiving the applications, the Gundlach family advised that all of the applications involved causes that Winks would have supported. “Winks could never have turned down or chosen among any of these worthy causes,” they responded. Jim Vivian, Executive Director of KCF, and the KCF Board of Trustees approved the family’s decision, and all 17 projects were funded. Vivian commented, “Winks’s spirit of giving lives on not only through this fund, which will continue to grow for good and forever, but also through the projects and organizations that do so much good for so many in our community.”

The grant recipients are:

• Omega House for continued funding for their Caring Hands Massage Therapy program.
• Houghton Middle School, Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area, and Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative for the Houghton Middle School Environmental & Sustainability Science project to increase participation and hands-on opportunities for 7^th and 8^th grade science students at Houghton Middle School.
• Trap Rock 4-H Club and Calumet Art Center for the Club Youth Art Program to create and develop art activities for 22 youth ages 6-17.
• Keweenaw Family Resource Center for the Strong Families Keweenaw project to provide families with young children opportunities that will increase their family wellbeing, knowledge to support the health of their children, and access to community resources.
• Michigan Tech Fund for the Parade of Nations to serve the community with an innovative and unique international experience.
• Superior School of Gymnastics and Lake Linden-Hubbell Public Schools to purchase a Tumbl Trak (Porta Trak) that is designed to prevent injuries and can be utilized at every age and level as well as for skill training in all gymnastics events.
• Western Upper Peninsula Healthcare Access Coalition to facilitate access to quality, affordable oral health care to residents with limited income and a lack of dental insurance.
• Copper Country Humane Society for SNAP (Spay/Neuter Assistance Program) to provide financial assistance to help spay and neuter animals in our community.
• Keweenaw Heritage Center at St. Anne’s to augment funds for winterization, locks, and repairs to glass blocks in order to continue to provide a secure venue for the transmission of heritage activities and life events.
• Canterbury House for the Food Pantry & Meals project to help alleviate hunger in our community.
• Southern Keweenaw Trails for the Soke Trailhead & System Development project to purchase a trailhead map, trail intersection maps, picnic tables, grills, and trail maintenance supplies for the Greenland and Keweenaw Trails System.
• Carnegie Museum for the “Music at the Museum” series to provide honoraria for performers and for refreshments for a series of five musical event fundraisers for the Museum.
• U.P. Kids: Big Brothers Big Sisters in support of their High Five Mentoring program serving children and youth in the CLK School District.
• Houghton MI Skatepark project to build a 3,200 sq. ft., professionally built concrete outdoor skatepark to provide a designated quality area to support the youth and adults that pursue skating and BMX cycling as a sport.
• Swedetown Trails Club to replace major equipment needed to sustain and improve winter recreation trails at Swedetown.
• Little Brothers—Friends of the Elderly to provide crucially-needed operational support for their supplemental firewood program which helps offset the high cost of heating during the winter for the elderly who still heat with wood.
• Dial Help to sustain youth crisis and suicide intervention services.

For more information on giving or grant opportunities, please visit the KCF website (www.keweenawgives.org) or email mail@k-c-f.org. To be placed on KCF’s request for proposals list, please email your contact information to mail@k-c-f.org. You will be notified when grants become available.

Tax deductible contributions may be made to the Herman Gundlach Fund (or to any of KCF’s 80+ other funds) online at www.keweenawgives.org.  All contributions to a permanent endowment of KCF qualify for a Federal Tax Credit.

Goal is to Maintain a Sustainable Operating Organization for Good, Forever

6/30/16

Hancock, Michigan—Through the generosity of the Herman Gundlach Fund, the Keweenaw Community Foundation (KCF) has established an endowment for the Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home in order to create a sustainable source of income for offering a safe place for victims of domestic violence and their children.

The Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home works to provide ways to access safety and support when escaping violence and abuse. Along with shelter, they offer counseling, advocacy, and referrals to other agencies in the community which work for or with those affected by domestic violence.

The funding for the endowment was granted by the Herman Gundlach donor-advised fund at KCF. From captain of the Houghton High School and Harvard University football teams to a captain of industry, Herman “Winks” Gundlach Jr. was a man of many passions. Besides being a successful businessman, he was a prominent activist. Winks donated the shelter home facility in 1983, which was named after his wife, Barbara Kettle Gundlach. Upon his death at age 91 in 2005, instructions were laid out about how to continue his legacy of giving back to the community he grew up in and worked in. Through the Herman Gundlach Fund, Winks continues to leave his mark on the community he loved.

Jim Vivian, Executive Director of KCF, said, “We’re here to help and support the Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home continue to make a positive impact in the community through providing help, healing, and hope to victims of domestic violence.”

Tax deductible contributions may be made to the Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home fund (or to any of KCF’s 80+ other funds) online at www.keweenawgives.org.  All contributions to a permanent endowment of KCF qualify for a Federal Tax Credit.