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Community Lion going back to school
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans loans statue to Appleton Area School District
| APPLETON, Wis. (Aug. 26, 2008) – Just as students are gearing up to go back to school, so is the ‘Community Lion’ – a fiberglass statue created by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in 2007 as part of “The Lion King” Extravaganza public art project connected to the performance of the musical “The Lion King” at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. For the second year, Thrivent Financial will loan the ‘Community Lion’ statue to the Appleton Area School District (AASD) to promote community service among tomorrow’s leaders.
Through the Thrivent Financial Community Pride Project, the ‘Community Lion’ visits one school a month during the course of the school year. While hosting the lion, each school conducts a community service project to benefit a local nonprofit organization or charitable cause. After successfully completing the project, the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation awards each school with a $1,000 grant to benefit the school. Starting in September and throughout the upcoming school year, nine AASD elementary schools will receive the lion and conduct service projects. This follows a successful tour during the 2007-08 school year when more than 3,600 students from eight elementary schools (Ferber, Highlands, Horizons, Houdini, Huntley, Jefferson, Lincoln and Richmond) contributed 898 volunteer hours to benefit several local nonprofit organizations or charitable causes. Recipients of the service projects included Harbor House, Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley, PAWS for Peace, Outagamie County Red Cross, local nursing homes, Fox Valley Humane Society, Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity. “We feel it’s very important for our students to engage in community service projects,” said Lee Allinger, superintendent of the Appleton Area School District. “Service and volunteerism are vital learning activities and we thank Thrivent Financial for this tremendous opportunity.” “It’s great to see our Community Lion having a positive impact long after the run of ‘The Lion King’,” said John Wollner, Thrivent Financial community relations director. “The lion has been a wonderful symbol to encourage community service by young people throughout the Appleton Area School District.” The Community Lion statue features a lion standing over a community of homes, businesses and churches with community members sitting across the lion’s back. Below is a list of service projects completed by the eight AASD elementary schools during the 2007-08 school year. • Ferber students raised more than $1,000 through a change drive and made 50 fleece blankets from donated materials for residents at the Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley. • Highlands students raised more than $930 after planning and hosting a carnival at school. The money was presented to Habitat for Humanity during an all-school assembly. • Horizons students collected items for troops in Iraq and donated them to PAWS for Peace. They also created and displayed certificates of family members or people they know who are serving in Iraq as a reminder of the community members who are serving our country. • Houdini students assembled 50 fleece blankets and attached cards and a poem to each blanket to be given to children at Harbor House, an area shelter for domestic abuse victims. • Huntley students raised more than $700 in a penny challenge and assembled 17 blankets for the Outagamie County Red Cross. • Jefferson students made more than 500 valentines for residents at seven area nursing homes. Due to a flu epidemic, many area nursing homes were forced to cancel Valentine’s Day celebrations and receiving the cards lifted many spirits. • Lincoln students collected $300 worth of food and supplies and raised $500 in a money drive competition between grades to support the Fox Valley Humane Society. • Richmond students learned about homelessness when Lawrence University students met with them to read stories and participate in activities such as a poverty simulation. They also organized a week-long canned food drive and penny challenge for the Salvation Army. 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. Securities are offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1665, 800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836) a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Member FINRA. Member SIPC. -END- 200803469 |
| Contact Information: | |
| Stacy Eckes-Borys Senior Media Relations Specialist stacy.eckes-borys@thrivent.com Phone: (920) 628-2445 | |
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