Winter 2012 | Volume 110 | Number 662

Getting Together

Meet members who are volunteering, learning and sharing a laugh while helping their communities, congregations and each other thrive.
by Donna Mulder and Sue Kraus

NFL and Thrivent Bring Hope to Families With Sick Kids

Thousands of kids going through cancer treatments – and their parents – will get a surprise following this year's Super Bowl. It's all thanks to a unique series of events in January that brought together NFL and Thrivent members across the country who wanted to make long-term hospital stays easier.

The events supported Basket of Hope, a nonprofit organization founded by Thrivent member Angela Brunette 17 years ago to offer support to families facing juvenile cancer treatment or other intensive treatments.

Since its founding, Basket of Hope has distributed thousands of baskets filled with inspirational materials and supplies to nourish the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual needs of patients and their families. Many of those baskets have been delivered to hospitals in cities across the U.S. by local celebrities and NFL players.

That support by NFL players and teams led to the basket-packing extravaganza in January. In partnership with Thrivent chapters and regional offices, Basket of Hope worked with the NFL to organize nationwide events to pack nearly 7,000 Hope Totes for parents. The totes were filled with donated items, including a Bible, a journal and a Christian music CD (provided through Thrivent Financial funding), scrapbooking supplies and other items. The 26 cities where the packing events took place all are home to an NFL team, and many NFL players and their families worked side by side with Thrivent members and other volunteers.

The events coincided with a similar effort at the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis, where Basket of Hope was a featured charity. In the days before the big game, hundreds of volunteers, including approximately 150 Thrivent members and friends, gathered in Conseco Fieldhouse to assemble 7,000 Baskets of Hope for children undergoing treatment in hospitals.

The baskets and totes will be distributed to 32 cities throughout the U.S. (each home to an NFL team), ensuring that both children and their parents will receive care packages in the coming weeks.

"Basket of Hope started when one of our members saw a need, and it was so fulfilling to see other members join in this grassroots effort to help families," says Alison Clark, a Lutheran engagement specialist for Thrivent Financial in the St. Louis area. "It shows just how much impact we can have when we work together, both in our local communities and across the country."

Parents and Kids Learn About Money Together

ORTONVILLE, MICHIGAN – It was a partnership that shows how Thrivent Financial can connect to help strengthen a community. The Brandon-Groveland Youth Assistance program was looking for a community education program. When Le Anne Schmidt, a Thrivent member and North Oakland County Chapter leader, suggested the Thrivent Financial educational workshop "Parents, Kids and Money Matters," she learned several other Thrivent members were on the program's board. The Brandon Library agreed to host and advertise the event, and the Brandon School District distributed flyers to elementary school students and their families. About 30 children and adults attended the workshop, presented by Thrivent Financial representative Nathan Bindschatel.

Fish Fry

WEST BEND, WISCONSIN – Nearly 1,000 fish dinners were cooked and sold at the annual Washington County Chapter's Fish Fry Fundraiser. Clearly, the fish was fabulous and drew diners, because the chapter was able to donate $16,723 to Support the Troops to assemble and send care packages to troops overseas. The annual fish fry was started by Thrivent member Bill Hinckley after Thrivent Financial representative Mike Senkbeil and retired Thrivent Financial representative Merle Pamperin asked the chapter to help develop a fundraiser that could benefit local charitable organizations. Over the fish fry's 10-year history, the chapter has raised more than $141,000 for organizations, including The Threshold Inc., which helps disabled people find employment; the Albrecht Free Clinic, which offers medical care to needy residents; and Rides for Reins, horse therapy that assists emotionally and physically challenged children. More than 150 Thrivent members, Support the Troops friends and local businesses provided the volunteer help for the fish fry and silent auction. Planning for the chapter's 2012 event is already under way, with funds raised going to the Washington County Humane Society.

Helping to Rebuild After Disaster

PULASKI, VIRGINIA – The tornado that swept through this community last year may have destroyed homes, but it also led to a cooperative effort that won't soon be forgotten. Two area churches – Trinity Lutheran and Holy Trinity Wytheville – joined forces with Presbyterian Disaster Relief to help with cleanup and rebuilding. The team soon grew to include people from more than 10 churches. Thrivent's Southwest Virginia Chapter got involved as well, supplementing $220 raised during a coffee hour at Trinity Lutheran, as well as nearly $370 collected when chapter members gathered for a Pulaski Mariners baseball game. They also provided volunteers to help rebuild a home destroyed by the tornado. Adding to the team effort, The Mid-Atlantic regional office of Thrivent Financial also contributed $2,000 to help with home-building expenses.

Golfing for a Cause

ST. GEORGE, UTAH – Thirty-two golfers took to the fairways at the St. George Golf Club on a beautiful Saturday morning to raise money for the tuition scholarship program of Trinity Lutheran School in St. George. After playing 18 holes, the golfers enjoyed a homemade barbecue lunch in the clubhouse overlooking the golf course, followed by a lively prize giveaway. The Canyonlands Chapter of Thrivent Financial helped sponsor the event, supplementing dollars raised to bring the total for the scholarship fund to more than $5,000.

Baseball and Backpacks

MADISON, WISCONSIN – It was an evening of baseball and backpacks for nearly 700 Thrivent members at a Madison Mallards baseball game. The members, from the Columbia County, Grant County and East, West and Central Dane County Thrivent chapters, brought donations of backpacks, notebooks, crayons, scissors, glue, colored pencils and more to the game. Those supplies, added to others collected for Child Support Services of Dane County, helped fill 179 backpacks for local children.

Help for H.E.L.P.

CARROLLTON, MISSOURI – Immanuel Lutheran Church and the Missouri River Chapter of Thrivent Financial worked together to provide $922 to H.E.L.P. Services of Carroll County, a nonprofit that works with schools, individuals or organizations in crisis. Immanuel Lutheran's vacation Bible school students collected school supplies and money to help children in need. The offerings from the children and congregation, plus the value of the school supplies, was $461, and the Missouri River Chapter matched it. The dollars were used to buy backpacks to hold the supplies.

Building a Home

GRASS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA – A late spring and a wet summer threatened to dampen the building efforts of a Thrivent Builds home in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. But Thrivent members in the Sierra Nevada County Chapter of Thrivent Financial wouldn't let that happen. Together with Peace Lutheran and Grace Lutheran churches of Grass Valley and Truckee Lutheran Presbyterian Church, they worked overtime on fundraising and on the build site to help finish the third of 16 homes planned for the Heritage Oaks neighborhood by year's end. The chapter helped raise more than $10,000 for the home.