CONTACT:
Tara Perre Karen Stork Lonni Vitale Jared Meade
Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Habitat for Humanity Concordia University
tara.perre@thrivent.com karen.stork@thrivent.com comrel@h4h.org meadej@cuaa.edu
(920) 628-2998 (248) 624-9858 (734) 677-1558 ext. 105 (734)99-7537
(920) 585-0557 (248) 830-4421
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Experience substandard housing: One-of-a-kind mobile exhibit arriving in Ann Arbor November 2 and 3
Thrivent Builds Mobile part of 5 million alliance with Habitat for Humanity
Ann Arbor, Mich. (Oct. 20, 2006) – Substandard housing—with its corresponding sights, sounds and feel—will soon be rolling into Ann Arbor. Literally.
Thanks to a one-of-a-kind mobile exhibit sponsored by Habitat for Humanity International and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, visitors to the “Thrivent Builds Mobile” will experience the sights, sounds and feel of substandard housing as well as what they can do to address this issue. The exhibit is designed to rally thousands of individuals and organizations to advocate, donate, and participate in Habitat’s effort to build affordable, decent and safe housing.
The exhibit is a 67-foot semi truck featuring video testimonials from real families that have worked with Habitat as well as replicas of substandard housing punctuated with lighting, sound and movement in a 12-minute experience connecting visitors physically and emotionally with the problem of substandard housing. It also highlights the benefits of decent housing and opportunities for individuals to make a positive difference.
The Mobile will be in Ann Arbor and available for public viewing at Concordia University, 4090 Geddes Road:
- 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006
- 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3, 2006
“This experience will open your eyes and your heart to the problem of substandard housing,” said Karen Stork, the visit coordinator for the exhibit and Lutheran community services specialist with the Eastern Great Lakes Region of Thrivent Financial. “The Thrivent Builds Mobile shows how everyone can take part in addressing this issue.”
“Substandard housing is a global problem, but it’s also a problem that touches the lives of people right here in our own community,” said Lonni Vitale, Director Community Relations at Habitat for Humanity Huron Valley. “Unfortunately, until a person has seen and experienced this need, it often remains a problem that is hidden from view.”
The Mobile is part of a four-year, 5 million alliance between Thrivent Financial and Habitat for Humanity. More than 13 million U.S. households pay more than half of their income for housing. Millions more live in overcrowded conditions or reside in housing with severe physical deficiencies, such as having no hot water, electricity or toilet. Called Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity, the alliance will result in the construction of more than 300 U.S. Habitat homes, engage thousands of volunteers and result in approximately 50 short-term Habitat home building trips here and abroad in 2006 alone. Originally set at 0 million, million was added for hurricane recovery in the Gulf Coast region. The new alliance makes Thrivent Financial Habitat’s largest ally in the organization’s 30-year history.
For information, visit www.thriventbuilds.com.
About Habitat for Humanity Huron Valley
Habitat for Humanity Huron Valley is a nonprofit Christian housing ministry dedicated to building decent, affordable housing in partnership with those in need in Washtenaw County. Since 1989, Habitat for Humanity Huron Valley has helped to house over 70 families. For more information, visit www.h4h.org and www.habitat.org.
About Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and the Eastern Great Lakes Region of Thrivent Financial
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a not-for-profit Fortune 500 financial services organization helping nearly 3 million members achieve their financial goals and give back to their communities. Thrivent Financial is a faith-based membership organization called to improve the quality of life of its members, their families and communities by providing solutions that focus on financial security, wellness and caring for others. Locally, the Eastern Great Lakes Region comprises 100 financial representatives who provide financial products and services to more than 100,000 people in southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio. Together with its members, Thrivent Financial’s Eastern Great Lakes Region provided more than $7.2 million in charitable outreach in 2005. For more information, visit www.lutheransonline.com/rfo240 and www.thrivent.com.
Concordia University – Ann Arbor is a liberal arts institution of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. With a distinctly Christian environment and an academic community dedicated to excellence, CUAA offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. CUAA is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) and by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). CUAA is listed as one of America’s Best Private Colleges®. For more information on CUAA, visit: www.cuaa.edu.
—END—
