News Releases
| << Back |
Hammers Pounding in Harambee during Thrivent Builds with Habitat Week
Thrivent Financial members and other volunteers to construct 10 homes in 2008
| MILWAUKEE, Wis. (May 1, 2008) – Beginning Monday, May 5, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans are hosting “Thrivent Builds with Habitat Week” in the Harambee neighborhood. The week will include a daily deluge of 170 Thrivent Financial volunteers working alongside Habitat partner families to accelerate the construction of the 10 Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity homes being built in the Harambee neighborhood in 2008.
Eight homes will be under construction May 5 - 9 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. with the 9th and 10th home starting in the next few weeks. The homes will be located in the 2900 block of N. 5th Street and the 2900 - 3000 block of N. 7th Street in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood. One home will be framed in the parking lot at Miller Park and later moved to the neighborhood. A Web camera will catch all of the action at two homes, 2911 N. 5th Street and 2915 N. 5th Street, and will stream live on www.thriventbuilds.com all week. In addition to rallying volunteers, Thrivent Financial is providing 65 percent of building costs, or $689,980, to Milwaukee Habitat to support the construction of the 10 homes through Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity, a $125 million four-year alliance between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity International. By the end of this year, thirty Milwaukee families will be in homes constructed through this alliance, including ten homes built in Harambee in 2007 and ten homes in Washington Park in 2006. The construction of these 10 homes in 2008 is part of larger holistic revitalization plan in the Harambee community to benefit the neighborhood through housing, redevelopment and education. This plan was created by the Harambee Great Neighborhood Steering Committee, a coalition consisting of residents and community organizations, including Milwaukee Habitat and Thrivent Financial. As the catalyst of this transformation, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and its foundation have invested nearly $3 million in the Harambee neighborhood over the past two years. Wall-Raising & Kick-off Rally On Monday, Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Representative of Wisconsin’s Fourth Congressional district, and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker will join leaders from Milwaukee Habitat, Thrivent Financial, Milwaukee Brewers and the Harambee Great Neighborhood Steering Committee to help raise a wall on a Thrivent Builds with Habitat home. Following the wall-raising, leaders will speak to volunteers and neighbors during a kick-off rally at 10:00 a.m., May 5 at 2911 N. 5th Street. The rally will celebrate the beginning of an exciting week of construction and will highlight the nearly $3 million Thrivent Financial and its foundation has committed to the Harambee neighborhood in the last two years. Building a Home at Miller Park While the Brewers are away, the volunteers will play! For the third year in a row, Brewers Charities and the Milwaukee Brewers are supporting the Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity program by providing additional sponsorship of two homes and allowing one home to be framed in the Miller Park parking lot. Lutheran high school students, Thrivent Financial members and other volunteers will assist in the framing of a home for partner Opal Donlow in the Miller Park parking lot from 7 – 10 a.m. and 3 - 6 p.m. throughout ‘Thrivent Builds with Habitat Week.’ Milwaukee Brewers Charities is contributing $5,000 to support the construction of the home, which will remain in the parking lot through the weekend and be moved later to 2928 N. 7th Street where it will be completed. In addition, Brewers Charities and the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club are supporting the construction of a second Thrivent Builds with Habitat home in the Harambee neighborhood for Ayub Mohamed. Friday afternoon, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher David Riske will greet volunteers working on the home at Miller Park. In addition, Riske will be a part of a special pre-game ceremony on Friday evening when Thrivent Financial and Brewers Charities present checks to Milwaukee Habitat and keys to Donlow and Mohamed, two of the new homeowners. About Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity International have joined together in an unprecedented alliance. Called “Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity,” it is rallying Lutherans and their communities into action to partner with families to help them achieve greater economic independence by building and owning simple, decent homes. The alliance is a four-year, $125-million commitment by Thrivent Financial, a not-for-profit Fortune 500 financial services organization with nearly three million members in the United States. The alliance makes Thrivent Financial one of Habitat’s largest single allies. In 2008, over 320 homes are being built in 42 states and up to 200 trips are planned for worldwide projects. For more information, visit www.thriventbuilds.com. About Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit Christian housing ministry dedicated to building decent, affordable housing in partnership with those in need. Since 1984, Milwaukee Habitat has worked with 360 families to build or rehabilitate homes. By year end that total will be 392 families! For more information, visit www.milwaukeehabitat.org. About Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and the Southeast Wisconsin Region Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a not-for-profit Fortune 500 financial services organization helping nearly 3 million members achieve their financial goals and give back to their communities. Locally, The Southeast Wisconsin Regional Financial Office is made up of 90 financial representatives and provides financial products and services to more than 110,000 members in Dodge, Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha counties. Together with its members, Thrivent Financial and the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation provided more than $8.9 million in charitable outreach in the Southeast Wisconsin Region during 2007. For more information, visit www.thrivent.com or www.lutheransonline.com/rfo300. About Milwaukee Brewers Charities Brewers Charities is the official charity of the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club and supports youth recreation activities, educational and scholarship programs, a complimentary ticket program for community groups and other worthy programs that support kids and families throughout Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Brewers Charities - going to bat for Wisconsin Families! -END- |
| Contact Information: | |||
| Dave Rustad, APR Senior Media Relations Specialist dave.rustad@thrivent.com Phone: (612) 844-7037 | Stacy Eckes-Borys Senior Media Relations Specialist stacy.eckes-borys@thrivent.com Phone: (920) 628-2445 | ||
Add to Favorites
Email a Friend
Add to Yahoo
Add to Google
Add to Digg
Add to Facebook
Add to Twitter
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Reddit
Add to Newsvine
Add to StumbleUpon
