A La Porte County Life in the Spotlight: Werner ‘Rip’ Graff II

We all have our heroes. While the hero may have changed with age, most people at one time or another admired at least one superhero character.Michigan City native Werner ‘Rip’ Graff II is no different. As a child, he had his superheroes and his interest led to a collection of them.

Graff founded The Graf Dairy Hero Foundation (GDHF) as a way to cultivate his childhood love for superheroes to inspire children to develop strong character and positive habits. The foundation actively uses his antique superhero collection to inspire local children.

According to the foundation’s website, the GDHF promotes a culture of heroic virtues in the youth through a unique collection of silver and bronze age hero memorabilia as a form of inspiration.

The name of Graff’s foundation is actually a nod to his grandfather’s business.

“It comes from the Graff Dairy that my grandfather owned in Michigan City,” he said.

Graff has lived in Michigan City for many years. Even when he lived elsewhere, he was always brought back through connections with his family and friends.

“I never left completely because I have cousins in town and a lot of good friends. We remained pretty close,” he said.

However, it was his father’s stroke that ultimately brought him back permanently. He wanted to spend more time with him. When he returned, he found himself wanting to give back locally, leading to the start of the foundation.

Graff’s hybrid background in education and business was an asset in starting GDHF. He has a teaching certificate from Saint Mary’s College in South Bend and a business degree from the University of Notre Dame. Recently, he launched another foundation that acts as an arm to GDHF. The Hero Foundation Museum is another way to instill values in local kids and help to fundraise.

“It’s a great facility because it’s an arcade, a gallery, and a museum,” he said. “There is a theatre as well.”

The Hero Foundation Museum also gives children an avenue for hands-on work like acting as docents and managing cash. These hours can be used as service hours or to make money. Graff says this involvement makes the children even more excited about the new museum, and has seen this confidence build within a week after the children get involved. 

“We’re hoping that this involvement will get the kids more excited about the building,” Graff said.

When the museum sees positive cash flow, Graff plans to invest it right back into the local Michigan City community. For Graff, his work with the foundation and the museum is also a hobby. He lives and breathes it daily. He refers back to a quote from Spider-Man, one of his favorite superheroes, when it comes to creating the best possible outcome for the community.

“With great power comes great responsibility,” he said.