Aug. 18, 2025
Contact Chris Sanger at 608-796-3070 or cmsanger@viterbo.edu
VITERBO UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF THE SAINT JOHN XXIII AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
LA CROSSE, Wis. – Outstanding service to the community and others is the hallmark of Susan and Dan Gelatt and Sue Graf, the 2025 recipients of the Viterbo University Saint John XXIII Award for Distinguished Service. The awards will be presented at a banquet and ceremony on campus Thursday, Sept. 11.
“We are proud to honor this year’s award recipients and recognize the tremendous amount of good they have done in the greater La Crosse community and beyond,” said Bob Van Wicklin, Viterbo University vice president for advancement. “Each of them has made a positive difference in the lives of others and exemplify Saint John XXIII’s compassion and love for his fellow human beings.”
Established in 1975, the Saint John XXIII Award for Distinguished Service is the highest non-academic award bestowed by Viterbo University. Recipients are chosen on the basis of contributions in one or several of the following categories: education, business, philanthropy, peace and justice, and religious life.
Recognized within the Roman Catholic church as a leader who initiated reforms at many levels, Saint John XXIII successfully orchestrated the Second Vatican Council. Although he died four and one-half years after his election as Pope in 1958, his love for humanity earned him the respect and admiration of people around the world. He was made a Saint in 2013.
The 2025 recipients of the Saint John XXIII Award for Distinguished Service:
Susan and Dan Gelatt
A firm believer in community service, Dan Gelatt has served on the boards of a long list of civic, health care, and educational organizations including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse, the La Crosse Public Library, the Gundersen Medical Foundation, and the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. He also served 18 years (two as president) on the Viterbo University Board of Trustees.
Dan was instrumental in the creation of the Amie L. Mathy Center for Recreation and Education, a shared facility of Viterbo and the Boys & Girls Club, the first of its kind in the nation. Another impactful project he helped lead was Wiring Wisconsin, an initiative that provided 400 schools with internet access in the 1990s.
A nurse by profession, Susan Gelatt found her true calling in gerontology, providing the residents of Bethany St. Joseph with loving care, friendship, and dignity. Such was the affection for Susan from residents and co-workers that when leaving to raise her family, Susan was persuaded to serve as the organization’s first on-call staff member, even bring her baby to work on a few occasions.
“We all need to care about people and do what we can to help each other,” Susan said. “That’s what I tried to do.”
Education, health, area youth, and animals are the focus of the couple’s current philanthropic efforts. Susan and Dan are happy to give back and make a positive difference in the greater La Crosse area, a community they love for the beauty and especially, the people.
Sue Graf
Setting out behind the steering wheel of a large, lemon-colored cargo van, Sue Graf begins each day on a mission of mercy, providing essential items and dignity to people in desperate need of both.
Graf is the founder of What I Need Now (WINN), a non-profit organization with the mission to “lovingly care for our unsheltered neighbors in the Coulee Region with empathy, compassion, and understanding and accepts individuals as they are, where they are.” Partnering with other numerous community agencies, WINN distributes everything from water, clothing, and personal hygiene items to community resource referrals about overnight shelter, health care, housing assistance, and employment. Graf seeks to get to know everyone she serves, treating each with dignity and respect.
Starting these efforts from the trunk of her car in 2021, Graf and her friend, Brian Holliday, now average 700 contacts with people each month.
“I realized God’s calling for me late in life,” Graf said. “My life has meaning and purpose when I can help other people. I have been blessed with the gifts of compassion, empathy, and hospitality, and try to use them every day to make a difference in the lives of the people I serve.”
Before founding WINN, Graf also served at the Franciscan Hospitality House, the La Crosse Warming Center, her church, the Girls Scouts, and in local schools. She was named a Spirit of St. Francis Distinguished Alumni Award recipient by Viterbo University in 2023.
“The goal of WINN is not to be needed because everyone has everything they need,” she said. “Until that happens, we’ll continue doing what we can.”
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