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.