Southeast Region (RFO 425) - Volunteer Excellence Award Winners

Volunteer of the Year: Adult Category
Say hello to Jeanne Ann Wieckert: Jeanne serves as Vice President of the North Fulton Thrivent Financial Chapter. Besides conducting effective voter and recognition events for the chapter, she has participated in two Thrivent Builds homes. She is a member of the Lutheran Coalition for Habitat board and helps organize the successful "Taste of Habitat" fund raiser each year. She cares deeply about our youth and serves on the advisory board for TEC, Teens Encounter Christ. For her church, Prince of Peace, she is the Community Ministry Chairperson coordinating the Hunger Walk, the work of Lutheran World Relief, the Redeemer soup kitchen and support for the battered women's shelter. She also serves on the Fellowship team of her church organizing picnics, pig roasts, progressive dinners and the annual Easter Breakfast.

Volunteer of the Year: Retired Category
Say hello to Bruce Zander. Bruce has been the Thrivent Builds Specialist for the Gaston County Chapter for three years. In that capacity he visited and organized all 15 churches in the chapter for very successful builds that led to 82% of the build being Lutheran, 63% of the build being members of Thrivent Financial, and raising twice the funds needed. He held a cook-out to thank the Congregatinal Champions and also engaged Hope Lutheran School in the build. Twice he has led teams to build homes in Biloxi and played a large role in the 150 person Southeast RFO Thrivent member build with Habitat in Biloxi in Octover of '07. He is active in Lutheran Men in Mission and helps raise funds for and drives the disaster recovery truck.

He served on a Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary task force to create a strong financial program going into the future. He also lead a successful million dollar campaign to establish a chair in Bible and Mission at Southern Seminary.

Bruce began and continues to hold the annual chili cook-off as a fund raiser that receives media coverage. Using the member benefit book, Reach Out and Give, he does children's sermons on faith and values. He also serves on Kairos prison ministry teams and on Via de Cristo teams.