Power for the Cause—Thrivent Financial Volunteer Excellence Award recipients talk about what drives their efforts, and why each cause is near and dear to their hearts.

Whether it’s raising funds for a nonprofit organization or orchestrating a church service project, it’s easy to volunteer when you’re working on a cause you believe in. And it’s an extra benefit when, as a member of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, you can multiply the good you do.

About the Awards
Each year, Thrivent Financial recognizes members in each of four categories: Youth/Young Adult, Families with children, Adults, and Retired. In addition, four field representatives and four corporate employees are also recognized for their volunteer efforts. The recognition is the organization’s highest community service award. Nearly 100 members were nominated for this award. Each recipient receives $2,000 from Thrivent Financial to donate to charities of their choice.

Four Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members—Ron Hanson of Coralville, Iowa; Susie Honea of Gallatin, Tennessee; Kathy Wendling of Chalmette, Louisiana; and Jill Endres of Grand Island, New York—have integrated their volunteer passions with the programs Thrivent Financial offers, and were recently honored as Thrivent Financial Volunteer Excellence Award recipients for 2006.

A Hand Up for the Homeless
“If you don’t ask, you don’t get,” says Ron Hanson, president of the Johnson County Chapter of Thrivent Financial. And he does just that, whether he’s seeking volunteers or money to support a worthy cause.

Hanson has a heart for projects that support low-income and homeless people, such as spearheading a flooring project at the Old Brick Community Center in Iowa City, Iowa, (a project that, by the way, involved more than 1,000 volunteer hours), and collecting food for the Table to Table Food Rescue Organization, which has rescued more than 5 million pounds of food from food providers since 1996, delivering it to organizations that assist the hungry, homeless and at-risk people in Johnson County. Hanson always tries to involve Thrivent Financial volunteers and resources, and he taps Thrivent Financial programs such as Care Abounds in Communities® and Care in Congregations® for resources whenever he can. 

“Thrivent Financial has really become strong in our community, and it’s only going to get stronger as people become more aware of what we’re doing to help others,” says Hanson. ”We’re not giving handouts. It’s about making a difference in our community.”

The Help After the Storm
Kathy Wendling is committed to giving young people an opportunity to grow and broaden their sense of the world. This passion has inspired her to not only volunteer at church and school, but also to establish an entire youth volunteer network. As youth director of the Thrivent Southeast Louisiana Chapter in 2005, she mobilized and worked closely with Thrivent Financial volunteers to involve youth in projects such as a Habitat for Humanity building project in New Orleans.

When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, including her hometown of Chalmette, Louisiana, she shifted her efforts to specifically helping the people in that area.

“I’m trying to make connections between people affected by the storm and those who are not,” says Wendling. “It’s helping people access the Lutheran community that is so supportive and giving, and Thrivent Financial has been a big part of that—from volunteers to donations for Lutheran relief organizations.”

Wendling especially points to the Thrivent Care programs. “We’re trying to use those funds to reach out to the community, to bring God’s word and ministry,” she says.

Dinner for 4,300
It seems to take so little effort to have a big impact,” says Susie Honea, a past president with the North Central Tennessee Chapter of Thrivent Financial and co-leader of Trinity/HOPE, Inc., an outreach ministry that currently feeds 4,300 Haitian children.

Honea has planned and organized fund-raisers and recruited volunteers from Thrivent Financial to benefit Trinity/HOPE, families in her community, elderly and homebound people, and Hurricane Katrina survivors and volunteers. Thrivent Financial has contributed resources for each of the projects.

“Being a member of Thrivent Financial, the possibilities for volunteerism are limitless,” says Honea, pointing to programs such as Care Abounds in Communities, Care in Congregations and GivingPlus®, which she has used to be a difference maker. “Whether it’s the worship committee at church, handing out food baskets in the community, making a donation to a nonprofit organization or embarking on a mission project in another country—no matter what your passion is, Thrivent Financial has a program that can help.”

Fellowship Under Construction
Jill Endres doesn’t mind raising funds for a worthy cause, but her true desire is to interact with those she is helping. “You get to see how your efforts are impacting someone, and that’s really rewarding,” says the University of Rochester sophomore.

Endres served as youth director for the Thrivent Niagara Falls Chapter in 2005, a position that opened her eyes to her community’s need—and what she could do to help.

She loves serving as a volunteer counselor at Camp TeBeCe, a Boys and Girls Club summer camp that helps inner city children. “I want to show them that there is a hope and a future for them,” she says. More recently, Endres has become involved with the Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity initiative in her community. “It’s cool to volunteer, build a home and create fellowship with people just like you.”

For Endres, her time on the chapter board has given her the opportunity to “find my own potential, explore new boundaries, set new goals and achieve new things.”

Donna Mulder is editor of Thrivent magazine.

Service in the Field
Thrivent Financial field representatives don’t just encourage members to volunteer—they work alongside them, contributing to their local communities through a variety of volunteer activities.

Four representatives from among Thrivent Financial’s 2,500 representatives across the U.S. have been recognized with Volunteer Excellence Awards for their efforts.

Thrivent Financial also has recognized four employees in the Minneapolis and Appleton, Wisconsin, offices:

Eileen Chanen, Minneapolis
Chanen teaches at The Jeremiah Program, an initiative that helps low-income single mothers and their children, and she serves on the marketing board at the Minneapolis YWCA. She also volunteers with Common Hope, a program improving lives in Guatemala.
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Dina Heckel, Appleton
Heckel serves with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin, donates blood, volunteers for Habitat for Humanity building projects and assists with a variety of other events. She also served on the Thrivent Financial Appleton Operations Center Chapter board.
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Tom Mischka, Appleton
Mischka supports the Emergency Shelter of the Fox Valley with computer support, cooking breakfast and serving as Board president. He also supports 4-H, volunteers for Thrivent Builds and is on the United Way's Providing Basic Needs and Self-Sufficiency committee.
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Kristine Mogollon, Minneapolis
Mogollon is a financial literacy instructor and mentor with a Faith in the City initiative; provides free tax preparation through AccountAbility Minnesota; and is active with Junior Achievement and Best Prep, two organizations that prepare students to become successful.
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Now that you’re inspired
At www.thrivent.com/fraternal you can find all the tools you need to get yourself involved in a volunteer project that you’re passionate about.

Also, if you’d like to learn more about this year’s Thrivent Financial Volunteer Excellence Award recipients, you can visit www.thrivent.com/magazine/links.