Make a difference and see the world with Thrivent Builds Worldwide.
Help families in your own community with Thrivent Builds Homes.
Gulf Coast Update Archive
April 2008
- Introducing the Gulf Coast Update!
- The history
- The plan
- The promise
- Thrivent Financial member Janet Snyder shares her story
- Make a bigger impact - donate today
- Send us your story!
- Gulf Coast Update Archive
Introducing the Gulf Coast Update!
Building a community. Leaving a legacy. Making lifelong friendships. Helping families build their homes - and reach economic independence. That's all part of the Thrivent Builds Worldwide Gulf Coast Community.
In 2008, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans committed $2.5 million to help families in the Mississippi Gulf Coast to build 40 homes - all mainly in one cul-de-sac and including a park - and to help Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast serve even more families. As part of this commitment, 60 teams of Thrivent Financial members and Lutherans will be helping to build those homes.
The impact of this program throughout the year will be great, continually growing, and having an impact on more and more people's lives. As a way to keep all of you who have already helped or are planning to help informed of the evolution of the community YOU have helped create, we're creating this monthly Gulf Coast Update. Each month, we will feature stories from the latest teams, updates on the families whose homes YOU helped to build, recognition for those who have donated to help even more families, and progress on the 40 homes in our Thrivent Builds Worldwide Gulf Coast Community.
Be sure to bookmark this Web page and visit each month to find out the latest news!
The history
August 2005—Hurricane Katrina makes landfall along the Gulf Coast causing an estimated $81.2 billion worth of damage and becoming one of the most severe storms ever recorded in the United States. A twenty-seven foot storm surge travels up to twelve miles inland along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, bridges collapse, and forty-seven counties in Mississippi are declared disaster areas in need of assistance. Nearly 250,000 individuals in south Mississippi are impacted by the devastation of this storm.
The plan
January 2008—Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast kicked off the first Thrivent Builds Worldwide Community. This program, titled , was created in response to the destruction Hurricane Katrina caused and the ongoing dire need for housing in the storm-affected area.
April 2008—Although Hurricane Katrina hit land two and a half years ago, 8,600 families are still living in FEMA trailers and approximately 85% of the homes that were destroyed in the storm have yet to be re-built. On behalf of its members, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has responded to these statistics with the commitment of $2.5 million, which will be used to sponsor 40 homes - all mainly in one cul-de-sac along with a park and pavillion - as well as assist Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast increase its capacity and solidify its sustainability.
The promise
The construction of the Thrivent-sponsored homes began during the pilot phase of Thrivent Builds Worldwide Gulf Coast Community in the winter of 2007. Five homes on Rosemont Street in Ocean Springs are among these homes. The homes on Rosemont Street are located at the end of a cul-de-sac and are well on their way to completion. The Rosemont homes are estimated to be completed by the end of April. Concrete slabs have been poured at additional lots located in Pascagoula on Polk Avenue. Teams working in April will be building seven homes there.
The largest housing development of this program is eight acres of land, known as Trace Lane. This land will be divided into twenty-nine lots, which will lead to another cul-de-sac. Twenty-eight of these lots will be used for houses and one is designated to the creation of a park and pavilion. Currently, Trace Lane is undeveloped and Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast is awarding the infrastructure contract in the beginning of April.
Want to be a part of the community?
- Be a team leader—Recruit teams of 5-15 volunteers.
- View weeks available to lead trips (PDF, 31K)
- Be a team member—There are limited trip weeks available for individuals.
Thrivent Financial member Janet Snyder tells her story
Janet Snyder, a Thrivent Financial for Lutherans member from Hawaii, participated in one of the pilot trips to the Thrivent Builds Worldwide Gulf Coast Community. It was a week full of new friendships, hard work, eye-opening insights into the need for help in the Mississippi Gulf Coast...and great food!
Read Janet's journal to understand her life-changing experience first-hand. Aloha!
Make an even bigger impact - donate today
Through the Thrivent Builds Worldwide Gulf Coast Community program, Thrivent Financial members are helping 40 families to rebuild their homes - and their lives - in the Missisippi Gulf Coast. But the need is still great:
- Only 15% of the homes along the Gulf Coast destroyed by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina have been rebuilt.
- Thousands of families are still living in unsafe temporary housing.
- More than 100 families are in the pipeline, waiting for homes with Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
YOU can make a difference and help even more families today. Donate online to Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and your dollars will help build even more homes in the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Send us your story!
Have you been part of a Thrivent Builds Worldwide Gulf Coast Community trip? Do you have stories or photos you'd like to share with others? Send them to Nicole Doebert for consideration in future issues of the Gulf Coast Update. We want YOU to share the experience and inspire others to help!
Gulf Coast Update Archive
If you would like to read previous issues of the Gulf Coast Update, simply access the Gulf Coast Update Archive from this link or from the left navigation bar.