Home / News / BKG Shelter Home Endowment Opened
Frank A. Douglass Insurance Agency

BKG Shelter Home Endowment Opened

Gunlach 1984
Herman “Winks” Gundlach during the May 5, 1984 Stop Violence Against Women and Children March.

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 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.

Check Also

The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition requests proposals for two 2025 grant programs

The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition announces its 2025 round of Community Conversation Grants and Environmental …