Post-TRIP template news release
Thrivent Builds Worldwide FR Ambassador Program – Nicaragua
Instructions: Thank you for helping publicize the good work of the Thrivent Builds Worldwide program! The
process is easy with a ready-to-use news release. To use this news release, simply fill in the variable fields,
using the instructions below. Please feel free to distribute this release soon after your April 2015 trip.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: Updated media relations materials instructions
Below is a compliance approved template for distribution to your local media. If you edit the news release beyond the
underlined fields, additional compliance approval is needed. Contact the Media Relations team for assistance.
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Customizing a news release or financial column
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Instructions for distribution to your local media
* Building relationships with your local media can be beneficial. Please note that while news releases MAY generate
coverage for you, journalists are under no obligation to use this information.
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To distribute, copy and paste the text of the news release into the body of an email. You can then send to a
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Questions?
For assistance or questions, contact Dan Moret, Media Relations, Thrivent Financial at:
612-844-7139, dan.moret@thrivent.com OR media@thrivent.com
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NEWS RELEASE
City or region resident returns from home-building trip to Nicaragua
Powerful volunteer experience has Participant Name planning to return on another
Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity trip
CITY, State abbreviation (Date, 2015) —Participant Name views life from a different perspective
after working side-by-side with Nicaraguan families during an April Thrivent Builds Worldwide trip.
Participant Name fully expected to work hard building homes and changing the lives of Nicaraguan
families. While these expectations were met, it came as a surprise that he/she was also personally
and strongly impacted by the experience.
“I went on this international volunteer trip to help others, but I, too, was blessed,” Participant Last
Name said. “Service brings out the best in us—that’s the beauty in volunteering. You get the focus
off yourself.”
Participant Last Name, a Thrivent Financial title serving Christians and their family members in city
or region, traveled to Nicaragua with other Thrivent Financial representatives and employees from
across the United States. Participant Last Name was selected to represent his/her colleagues from
the Name of RFO Region on this team because he/she demonstrated notable performance,
passion for volunteering with members, and drive to help people become financially secure. Unlike
regular days at the office helping people with their financial security, the Thrivent Financial
representatives put a new twist on their role in Nicaragua painting, carrying rock, mixing concrete
and mortar by hand, and bending rebar to help enable families to afford to buy a safe, new home.
From April 18th – 26th, 2015, the team helped construct homes in the Central American country.
Thrivent Financial sends teams each year to support the mission of Habitat for Humanity Nicaragua
and has encouraged Thrivent members and others to volunteer in Nicaragua to help make the
dream of home ownership a reality for local families. As a fraternal benefit society, a unique type of
not-for-profit membership organization, Thrivent Financial focuses on both financial security as well
as caring for others. This program is one example of how Thrivent Financial and its members work
together to help people.
As the homes were built, relationships grew with the local people. The team enjoyed building with
the Habitat Nicaragua partner families who will live in the homes. These families have to apply for
and purchase the Habitat houses, just like in the United States, and put in sweat equity before they
can move in.
“Too many Nicaraguans live in substandard housing, and by our American standards, they have
very little,” said Participant Last Name. “Despite having few worldly possessions, the Nicaraguans I
met displayed a wealth of spirit, love and generosity.”
The experience in Central America invigorated Participant Last Name, and he/she plans to share
this experience with as many people as possible to raise awareness of the burden of poverty
housing and encourage others to get involved in similar service work. Thrivent Builds Worldwide
works in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity around the world. Participant Last Name is planning
to return to Nicaragua in month/dates to build more homes. He/she is asking people in the
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community to join him/her. Anyone interested in going on the trip may contact Participant First
Name at phone/email.
“There was great satisfaction in helping families build one of the most basic human needs—a roof
over their heads,” said Participant Last Name.
To learn more, visit www.thriventbuilds.com/worldwide and read the 2015 team blog at
http://thriventnicaraguaworldwidebuild2015.blogspot.com/
Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is a multi-year, multi-million dollar mission partnership between
Thrivent Financial and Habitat for Humanity International. Thrivent Builds is designed to involve Thrivent
members and Christians in helping provide a “hand up” to people in need of affordable housing, offering
them a path to greater economic independence. Excluding government funding, Thrivent Builds with Habitat
for Humanity is Habitat's largest single source of funding, constructing and repairing more than 4,000 homes
in the U.S. and around the world since 2005. For more information, visit ThriventBuilds.com.
About Thrivent Financial
Thrivent Financial is a financial services organization that helps Christians be wise with money and live
generously. We offer a broad range of products and services—including life insurance, annuities and mutual
funds—along with guidance from financial representatives nationwide. For more than a century we’ve helped
our nearly 2.4 million member-owners make wise money choices that reflect their values, and we provide
opportunities for them to be even more generous where they live, work and worship. For more information,
visit Thrivent.com. Also, you can find us on Facebook and Twitter.
Habitat for Humanity International’s vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Anchored
by the conviction that housing provides a critical foundation for breaking the cycle of poverty, Habitat has
helped more than 4 million people construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes since 1976. Habitat also
advocates to improve access to decent and affordable shelter and supports a variety of funding models that
enable families with limited resources to make needed improvements on their homes as their time and
resources allow. As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and
welcomes people of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission. To learn more, donate or
volunteer, visit Habitat.org, or follow us at Facebook, at Twitter.com/habitat_org or join Habitat’s blog
community at Habitat.org/blog.
CONTACTS:
 Participant name, Phone: Participant phone number, Email: Participant email
 Other RFO Contact name, Phone: Phone number, Email: Email
PHOTO ATTACHED –
CAPTION SUGGESTION: Participant Name, a Thrivent Financial title serving Christians and their family
members in city/region, helped build a community of homes for families in Nicaragua. Participant Last Name
traveled to Central America in mid-April as part of a Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity trip.
—END—
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