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Innovative programs for children get boost from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation
$68,000 in grants to Appleton Area School District
| APPLETON, Wis. (May 8, 2008) – The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation recently demonstrated its support for several innovative programs in the Appleton Area School District (AASD) by awarding $68,000 for three AASD projects that support early childhood development and financial literacy.
“We are investing in the future of our community,” said Jon Stellmacher, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Thrivent Financial, who announced the grants at Thrivent Financial’s annual Report to the Community. “These programs will help young children and their families start their lives with promise and potential. We believe that our investments in the intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being of young children pays many dividends for each child and for the collective community.” “The students of the Appleton Area School District are the beneficiaries of continued volunteer and financial support by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans,” said Lee Alllinger, superintendent of the Appleton Area School District. “Thrivent’s most recent commitments to support pilot projects targeting the Birth to 5 population across the Fox Valley and the development of financial management concepts with elementary age students are groundbreaking and will provide models for broader implementation not only across the Fox Valley, but across the state.” Here are details on the three AASD projects and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation’s support for them: • The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation awarded $31,577 for the AASD Birth – Five Site Resource Coordinator project. The pilot program will increase developmental screenings for three and four-year-olds with the goal of providing early intervention and resources. The screenings aim to identify children who have developmental delays that may require special education; students who have risk factors such as poverty or limited English proficiency; and/or students who have social or emotional challenges that impact readiness to learn. The grant from the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation is funding two site coordinators who were placed in March at Highlands and Jefferson Elementary Schools due to several factors including poverty levels of 52 percent and 47 percent respectively, limited English proficiencies and lower three and four-year-old screening rates in previous years. Six additional sites also are targeted for this pilot project should funding become available. • The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation also awarded a $30,200 grant to fund the AASD’s Books for Babies program, which provides two books to each newborn at participating community hospitals. The focus of this grant was determined by a need for increased early literacy skills as children move toward formal school experiences. National, state and regional data indicate a need for early literacy skills to be in place by critical benchmark periods if students are to be literate by third grade. The books given to the babies through this program are Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Read to Your Bunny by Rosemary Wells. • Finally, the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation recently provided $7,000 to support AASD’s Money Smarts Summer School pilot program. The four-week course will focus on students entering fourth or fifth grade in the fall of 2008. The classes will take place at four schools: Highlands, Horizons, Huntley and McKinley. The program will help kids get smart about money by providing real-life examples of how to earn money, spend money wisely and save money for the future. A $25 savings bond will be presented to students who complete the four-week course. The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation is a private foundation funded by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. As a 501(c)(3) organization with its own board of trustees, the foundation is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary and educational purposes and makes grants and gifts to 501(c)(3) exempt organizations. The foundation does not provide grants to individuals. To learn more about the foundation and its programs, visit: www.thrivent.com/foundations. About Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a Fortune 500 financial services membership organization helping nearly 3 million members achieve their financial goals and give back to their communities. Thrivent Financial and its affiliates offer a broad range of financial products and services including life insurance, annuities, mutual funds, disability income insurance, bank products and more. As a not-for-profit organization, Thrivent Financial sponsors national outreach programs and activities that support congregations, schools, charitable organizations and individuals in need. For more information, visit www.thrivent.com. -END- |
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