THRIVENT FINANCIAL FOR LUTHERANS RECEIVES COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

Dana College bestowed its College-Community Service Award to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans during Commencement, Saturday, May 24. The College-Community Service Award is the highest non-academic honor Dana gives.

Thrivent (formerly Lutheran Brotherhood and Aid Association for Lutherans) was chosen to receive the award based on on the fraternal organization’s more than 100-year history of helping Dana’s home community of Blair and Washington County, Neb. Currently, more than 1,500 residents of Washington County, seven Lutheran churches and Good Shepherd Lutheran Home receive benefits from Thrivent.

Thrivent provides annual scholarships for students from Washington County to attend Dana College, as well as colleges and universities throughout the country. During the last 25 years, Thrivent has provided more than $2 million to Dana for scholarship support and programs.

“Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has been one of Dana’s top supporters for years,” said Dr. Myrvin Christopherson, Dana College president. “Lutheran Brotherhood and Aid Association for Lutherans, the two bodies that merged to form Thrivent, have provided scholarships for students, underwritten conferences and educational programs and been a willing partner in many ministries. We are most grateful for their generous support.”

Specific examples of Thrivent’s past assistance of Blair and Washington County includes: sponsoring parenting programs; supporting food and clothing pantries; planting trees; purchasing playground equipment; supporting families with special needs due to illness, fire and accidents; giving disaster-relief funds; providing resources for foster families; preparing food baskets for the needy; and funding capital improvements for the Blair Memorial Community Hospital, Washington County Historical Museum, Blair Recycling Center, Brewster Cemetery, Blair Library, Good Shepherd Lutheran Home and Washington County Fairgrounds.

The award was presented by Dr. Myrvin Christopherson, Dana College president, to representatives from Thrivent for their continued community support of Blair and Washington County.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans was created in January 2002 by the merger of Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL) and Lutheran Brotherhood (LB), forming the largest fraternal benefit society in the United States. More information on Thrivent can be found at its web site, www.thrivent.com.

Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution that currently enrolls approximately 600 students. The campus is located on 150 acres overlooking the Missouri River Valley in Blair, Neb. Dana grants bachelor’s degrees in more than 35 liberal arts, business, education and pre-professional programs, with an emphasis on personalized teaching from experienced and dedicated faculty. Dana is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and its athletic teams compete in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.

More information on Dana College can be found at www.dana.edu.

— END —

For more information contact:

Sarah Cavanah
Dana College Communications Coordinator
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@fs1.dana.edu