The future of the Finnish American Heritage Center, shown in this file photo, is more certain as the Finlandia Foundation National takes the reins. (Via Houghton Daily Mining Gazette)

HANCOCK — When Finlandia University officials announced in March 2022 that the institution was closing, that decision cast doubt on the future of the Finnish American Heritage Center (FAHC). But, because of the center’s importance to the preservation and promotion of Finnish culture nationwide, it is now under new ownership.

David Maki, director of the Finnish American Heritage Center (FAHC), and the editor of the Finnish American Reporter newspaper, said that the FAHC is now under the auspices of the Finlandia Foundation National. The FNN is a philanthropic organization, headquartered in Pasadena, California, said Maki, and is operated by a Board that has members from across the United States. It is the primary, independent source of support for Finnish America and Finland in the U.S. Founded in 1953, Maki said FNN’s mission has been very similar to that of the Heritage Center.

“When they heard they heard the news of the university’s closure,” Maki said, “they recognized right away that they needed to do what they could to make sure we stayed operational, and as a result, they discovered that we’re a perfect match, so we’re now a part of their organization.”

Maki said the FNN stepped in to preserve the Heritage Center, the North Winds Book Store, and all of its contents, so that FAHC operations would continue without interruption. One of the goals is that patrons should notice no operational changes whatsoever.

“We will keep doing everything we can to preserve and promote Finnish culture across North America,” Maki said.

FFN has rescued the archives, artifacts and programs of the Heritage Center and are on track to finalizing the purchase of the building, the FNN website says.

During the FAHC Independence Day celebration on Wednesday, Tommy Flanagan, FNN executive director, was the keynote speaker of the event. While he was unable to attend the event personally, he presented a video-recorded speech.

“Finlandia National made the decision to preserve the most important remnants of the (Finlandia) University,” he said, “the most important parts of our shared history, a particular piece of our greater American story, represented in the collection of the historic (FAHC) archives.”

At the beginning of March, the FNN launched effort to save the FAHC, the Finnish American Folk School, Finlandia Art Gallery, North Wind Books, the Finnish American Reporter and the Price of Freedom War Museum, Flanagan said. The effort, he continued, included a campaign to raise $3 million to accomplish these goals.

FNN launched the campaign in Sept. of last year, calling it “Saving Finland in America.” It is a fundraising campaign to support the acquisition.

The fundraising effort is the initial step in a multi-phase plan to maintain the current programs, staffing, conservation and care for the material assets. FNN is also working to relocate collections that had been housed in other former Finlandia University buildings. Priority future projects include digitization of records to make them accessible to researchers across the world, as well as the creation of an endowment to ensure the future health of the FAHC entities.

“Hancock is the epicenter of Finnish-American culture,” said Mark Munger, “and the Finnish American Heritage Center, Finnish American Reporter and North Wind Books feed upon each other, the enthusiasm of the Finns who call Copper Country their home, and those Finns who pilgrimage to the Keweenaw Peninsula to find their roots.”

Munger, a former Duluth judge, columnist for the Finnish American Reporter and the author of the Finnish American Trilogy (Suomalaiset; Sukulaiset; and Kotimaa), said he strongly supports keeping their mission alive.