Each chapter leadership board is comprised of five required elected positions. In addition, five optional elected positions and a number of appointed advisory positions are available.  Your chapter leadership board is elected by the chapter members.  All current leader terms expire December 31, 2005.
All elected leadership board members have equal voting rights—the advisors do not vote in chapter leadership board matters. The chapter leadership board is responsible for allocating dollars to community service teams through the Care Abounds in Communities™ program.

President                                                 Vice President                              Records Director
Annetta Teske                                         Terry Ganyo                                 Gail Burnside
(262) 377-8547                                       ganyoscarpet@aol.com                gburnside@wi.rr.com
aj.teske@att.net

Congregational Service Team Dir.          Financial Director                         Communications Director
Katherine Spitler                                      Paulette Healey                           Michelle Buss
katherine.spitler@sbcglobal.net              phealey308@aol.com                  mbuss1@wi.rr.com

Community Service Team Director          Events Director                           Youth Director
Lori Newhouse                                         Neil Traxel                                  Karl Roeske
lnewhouse@fils.org                                 ntraxel@yahoo.com                    youth@fils.org

All members are invited to attend the monthly Ozaukee County Chapter meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm.  The meetings are held at Concordia University Wisconsin, 12800 N. Lake Shore Drive, Mequon, WI.  Please contact us or one of your congregational coordinators if you are interested in attending and we can give you more details!

VOICE is an active youth organization and student volunteer society within Thrivent Financial for Lutherans serving Ozaukee County.  VOICE exists as a former branch of AAL and was originally known as VAC (Volunteer Action Club).  The organization served as a youth board that received funding from AAL to create and direct volunteer opportunities.  Currently, the group’s efforts are funded by a combination of Ozaukee County Chapter dollars and direct fundraising done by the VOICE members.  The group members are presently Concordia University Wisconsin students, but the group is open to any youth within Ozaukee County.  

VOICE recognizes the need for service to the Concordia community, as well as to the Mequon and Ozaukee County community as a whole.  VOICE was specifically recognized and honored for volunteerism by President George W. Bush on his trip to Mequon for last Spring’s Commencement ceremony at Concordia University.

A sampling of the activities performed by VOICE within the last year include:  “Give Them a Hand,” an effort to help incoming freshmen adjust to college life; serving Thanksgiving meals at St. Stephen Lutheran Church; making Christmas stockings for international students at CUW to share God’s message of salvation; and a Spring Break service trip to St. Louis to help renovate a dilapidated church into a coffee house for a nearby university.

Please contact any member of the Ozaukee County Chapter Leadership Board if you have suggestions for outreach service opportunities or know of interested high school or college students who would like to become members of VOICE.  All suggestions and prospective members will be referred to the student leaders of VOICE.

OZAUKEE COUNTY THRIVENT FINANCIAL YOUTH ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE !

1. Level of Need/Compassion
2. Number of Volunteers/Volunteer Hours
3. Level of Exposure for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
4. Impact to Lutheran Community
5. Impact to Ozaukee County
6. Uniqueness of Project/Service
7. Level/Adequacy of Lead Time
8. Number of Prior Requests

The sixth annual Join Hands Day will be on Saturday, May 7, 2005. This national day of volunteering sparks friendships among people of all generations as youth and adults come together to plan and conduct activities to improve their communities. Join Hands Day is sponsored by America’s Fraternal Benefit Societies, in partnership with the Points of Light Foundation and the Volunteer Center National Network.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a major supporter of this special day. Last year, members had a ball conducting more than 3,000 activities across the country, everything from cleaning up city parks to helping seniors. The ideas were limited only by the imagination.

Eight of the 20 activities chosen in 2004 by the Join Hands Day Foundation for Awards of Excellence were conducted by Thrivent Financial members. The planning groups received $1,000 each to be used for this year’s Join Hands Day activities and a distinctive glass award.

We encourage you to consider conducting a Join Hands Day activity and helping our community. Find a need, form a service team of individuals from six separate Thrivent Financial households, and contact one of our chapter leaders to see how we can help you.

While chapter service teams are encouraged to conduct Join Hands Day activities on May 7, they may conduct activities between April 1 and June 30. (However, only activities held on May 7 will be considered for national recognition by Join Hands Day.)   As did members from years past, you’ll find that the rewards far outweigh the time and effort involved in planning an activity. Your chapter leadership board is here to help you along the way.

If you see a need in your congregation that could be helped through this funding, please contact a Thrivent Financial congregational coordinator in your congregation. If you don't know who your three congregational coordinators are, please contact a member of our chapter leadership board as noted in this newsletter, and he/she will help you get in touch with a coordinator.

The Ozaukee County Chapter Leadership Board has been given $46,816 for community service teams in the county in 2005.  We look forward to continuing our work with you to “make a difference” in our community in 2005!