Eleven Who Care honors Thrivent Builds supporter David Folkerds

Thrivent member David Folkerds will be honored for his generous service to Thrivent Builds and Habitat for Humanity at the 2012 Eleven Who Care event, July 18, which recognizes outstanding local volunteers. The event is presented in partnership with Thrivent Financial, which has sponsored Eleven Who Care for 12 years. David will be the Thrivent Member Honoree.

A segment featuring David for his Eleven Who Care nomination will air on KARE 11 tonight  on the 10 p.m. news; and also tomorrow on the KARE11 Sunrise program at 5 a.m.; and
July 14 on KARE Saturday at 8 a.m.

Over the last year, David estimates he spent at least 800 hours volunteering with Thrivent Builds and Habitat for Humanity and has been involved with Thrivent Builds for 16 years. He recruits workers and supervises work days as a site coordinator.

“My favorite part of the program is seeing the finished home and attending the dedication ceremony,” David says. “It is very satisfying to see the happy family in their new home, especially the children excitedly exploring their new surroundings.”

“David is a person with a strong moral compass. He is deeply committed to the ideal of home ownership for all. He was the first person that came to mind when Thrivent asked for nominees,” says Marilyn Rausch, his nominator. She has known David for about 15 years and the two have worked together on Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Builds.

He says he continues to be involved with the organization because of the impact on families and children. “Surveys are showing that children of homeowners (such as Habitat owners) do better in school and are more likely to graduate from high school and even more likely to go on to higher education.”

Each Eleven Who Care honoree recommends an organization to which a $1,100 donation will be made in the honoree’s name. David chose to make his donation to Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity in the Twin Cities.

He is also passionate about men’s fellowship. Two years ago, David was determined to boost men’s fellowship in Lutheran churches in the New Hope, Crystal and Robbinsdale areas, so he began working with Wildfire Men’s Fellowship. The group has grown, and now more than 100 men attend the events, which feature a home-cooked dinner and motivational speaker.

“I feel very humbled and not deserving to be singled out,” he says. “In the 16 years I have been involved with Habitat for Humanity, I have met so many people who deserve recognition for their contributions and go unnoticed. I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Eleven Who Care group. They are an amazing group of people.”

Eleven Who Care has introduced the community to more than 300 individuals making a difference since its inception in 1983.