Floyd O. & Betty L. Shunk Scholarship Fund

Mrs. Betty Shunk was one of the first to establish a scholarship fund with Unity Foundation. In memory of her husband, she established the Floyd O. & Betty L. Shunk Scholarship to assist La Porte and Westville High School students. Mrs. Shunk did this because she wishes to give La Porte County students the opportunities that she did not have.

Donor Story

Betty and Floyd Shunk, of La Porte, had been married for many years. They both graduated from high school, but because of the cost Betty was unable to attend college. Betty and Floyd were good savers and often lived off of one income because they never knew if the other would have a job. They lived simply yet happily, although they did not have children of their own. Floyd passed away in 1985.

In 1996, while meeting with her financial advisor, Betty learned that her modest estate was now subject to estate tax. Her advisor explained that if she were to make charitable contributions to reduce the size of her estate, she would be able to avoid that kind of tax.

Being a practical person, Betty immediately realized that this was a good idea. But the question continued to linger, “Who should I give to?” After thinking about it for some time she decided that setting up a college scholarship fund would be a meaningful thing to do, because she did not go to college. Floyd graduated from Manchester College and was a teacher for nine years. She wanted others to have that chance.

The Floyd O. and Betty L. Shunk Scholarship fund was created by Betty in 1996 for graduates of Westville and La Porte High Schools because that is where she and Floyd had gone to school. The initial gift generated a match from Lilly Endowment Inc. Betty did something wonderful for the community and saved taxes at the same time! Because of Betty’s generosity and thoughtfulness, deserving young people are now given a chance to reach for the stars!

Donation Information
  • Your gift is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
  • You will receive a tax receipt electronically for your records once your donation is processed.
  • Gifts by credit card incur a processing fee for each transaction which will be deducted from your gift. The current fee is 2.8% per transaction. We invite you to increase your gift to cover this fee so that your charitable intent can be fully realized.
  • If you would like to make a one-time or recurring payment, please contact the Unity Office at (219) 879-0327 or unity@uflc.net

 

If you prefer, you can mail your donation to:

Unity Foundation of La Porte County

PO Box 527

Michigan City, IN 46361