News Releases
| << Back |
Volunteers from Thrivent Financial and Milwaukee Habitat gear up for week-long building effort
Year after year, Lutheran volunteers help build 10 homes in Milwaukee
| MILWAUKEE, Wis. (May 7, 2009) – It takes a lot of hands to build 10 Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity homes in one year. But Ric Simon is always there, not only to build the homes, but bring others to what he calls the block party of the year.
Starting on Monday, May 11, Simon and over 100 volunteers, including Thrivent members, members of area Lutheran churches and other volunteers from all over southeast Wisconsin, will travel in droves to Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood. They come to make a positive impact and to have a good time building homes together during the annual “Thrivent Builds with Habitat Week.” These volunteers will work alongside Habitat partner families and under the supervision of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity house leaders to jump-start the construction of the 10 homes being built in the Harambee neighborhood during this special blitz build week. This is the fourth consecutive year Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has supported the construction of 10 homes in Milwaukee with both financial and volunteer resources. By the end of 2009, Thrivent will have contributed more than $2.6 million, or 65 percent of the building costs. Another 10 percent of the funding is generated by local Thrivent chapter members through fundraisers and donations, mainly at local Lutheran churches. On top of that, volunteers from the area have contributed approximately 67,000 hours (nearly 400 full weeks!) of labor to help Milwaukee Habitat provide 40 low-income Milwaukee families with decent, affordable housing. As in years past, Thrivent Financial members, Thrivent Financial Representatives and other volunteers will join the home-building effort. Over 130 of this year’s volunteers were recruited by Ric Simon, a Thrivent Financial Representative and very active Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity volunteer. Simon has been involved in Thrivent Builds Week since the beginning in 2006, organizing volunteers, swinging his hammer and encouraging others to be a part of the benevolent block party. “It doesn’t matter if the volunteers are construction experts or unskilled novices, as long as they are ready to roll up their sleeves, put on a toolbelt and lend a hand,” said Simon. “When Lutherans identify with a cause, they’ll come out and help. These volunteers are thankful for the blessings in their lives and want to give back.” Up to 20 other Milwaukee-area Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Representatives and regional employees will be hanging up their business attire and putting on a t-shirt and a hardhat throughout the week. Other volunteers participating this year include groups from Trinity Lutheran Church in South Milwaukee, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Ascension Lutheran and Christ the Life Lutheran Church in Waukesha, Atonement Lutheran Church and Bethel Lutheran Church in Muskego, Peace Lutheran Church in New Berlin and many more. “This is part of our mission,” said Reverend Bill Mains, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church. “Volunteering with Thrivent Builds with Habitat during these past four years has been a wonderful experience. Our congregation has received a lot of benefits from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and we need to give back, too.” UPS has been a supporter the blitz build week for the past three years and has over 60 volunteers from the Oak Creek and Elm Grove Operations Centers participating this year, lead by UPS supervisor and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans member Dan Guendert. “We are very fortunate at UPS to bring members from our dedicated workforce to team with Thrivent Builds so that by working together we can bring homeownership to those in need,” said Guendert. Throughout the week and all year long, the volunteers get a great deal out of working with each other and with the Habitat families. The friendships that are made between volunteers and homeowners alike, the satisfaction of making a real difference in the community, and the joy of giving back are all reasons why many of the Lutheran volunteers have come back year after year to help build homes and hope in Milwaukee’s inner city neighborhoods. Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is a $125 million alliance between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity International. The alliance makes Thrivent Financial one of Habitat’s largest allies and aims to increase Habitat’s annual house production by hundreds of homes per year. To date more than 1,000 homes have been built in the U.S. and hundreds of volunteer teams have helped build homes around the world. For more information, visit www.thriventbuilds.com. 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 390 families to build or rehabilitate homes. By year end that total will be 425 families! For more information, visit www.milwaukeehabitat.org. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and the Southeast Wisconsin Region Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a not-for-profit membership organization helping approximately 2.6 million members achieve their financial goals and give back to their communities. As a not-for-profit fraternal benefit society, Thrivent Financial sponsors national outreach programs and activities that support congregations, schools, charitable organizations and individuals in need. Locally, The Southeast Wisconsin Regional Financial Office is made up of 90 financial representatives and provides financial products and services to more than 107,000 members in Dodge, Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha counties. Together with its members, Thrivent Financial’s Southeast Wisconsin Region provided more than $9 million in charitable outreach in 2008. For more information, visit www.thrivent.com or www.lutheransonline.com/rfo300. |
| Contact Information: | |
| 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
