MINNEAPOLIS (May 25, 2016) – To celebrate Memorial Day and NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program, Thrivent Financial and Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing have partnered to honor PFC Andrew Krippner and give back to the non-profit Honor and Remember.
As part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance program, Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing worked with its primary sponsor Thrivent Financial, a not-for-profit financial services organization that serves Christians, to identify a fallen military member who will be honored on the windshield of the No. 95 Thrivent Financial Chevrolet SS driven by Michael McDowell in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“This is a unique and worthy program that NASCAR orchestrates during Memorial Day weekend and we are proud to be part of it,” said Craig Stacey, Director of Marketing at Thrivent. “Thrivent is a membership organization and we are honored to be able to celebrate the service of one of our members, Andrew Krippner, who lost his life while serving in the Army. It’s also very special to have Andy’s parents join us in Charlotte for the race.”
Ken and Pam Krippner, of Garland, Texas, are longtime Thrivent members. Their only child, Andrew, enlisted in the Army and attended basic training after graduating high school in 2010. He was deployed with his unit to Afghanistan in April 2011 and was killed, along with three of his “brothers” the following month when the military vehicle he was driving hit an IED.
NASCAR driver Michael McDowell, who is also a Thrivent member, nominated Honor and Remember to be part of the Thrivent Choice catalog of nonprofit organizations to which eligible members can direct charitable funding. The nomination allows Thrivent members across the country to recommend funding for the organization whose mission is to perpetually recognize the sacrifice of America’s military fallen heroes and their families.
“I’m thrilled to be able to honor Andrew Krippner during the Coca-Cola 600 – one of the biggest races in our sport,” said McDowell. “As a Thrivent member, it’s also rewarding to be able to give back to Honor and Remember, a great organization that brings these fallen soldiers to the forefront of everyone’s minds.”
During Memorial Day weekend, Thrivent will double any Thrivent Choice dollars its members direct to Honor and Remember. Additionally, the financial services company is challenging NASCAR fans to make donations to Honor and Remember during the weekend by using the link www.thrivent.com/honor. If the total amount of fan donations to the organization reach $20,000 by the end of Memorial Day weekend (12:01 a.m. ET on May 31, 2016), Thrivent will add $9,500 to that total.
“We are truly humbled by Thrivent’s willingness to help us in this noble cause,” states George Lutz, founder of Honor and Remember, whose son George Anthony Lutz II was killed by a sniper’s bullet while on patrol in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2005. “Thrivent’s commitment to our mission will enable us to tangibly bring additional healing to many grieving families across our nation.”
The Krippner family resides in Garland, Texas – just two hours away from the Leavine family (race team owners) who are based in Tyler, Texas. Ken and Pam will be traveling from Hawaii, where they are commemorating the lives of Andrew and the soldiers who were killed alongside of him with his unit, to be guests of the sponsor and race team during the Coca-Cola 600 race day.
The Coca-Cola 600 will take place at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 29th at 6:00 p.m. ET. Fans can keep up with the action on Twitter by following at @ThriventRacing, via the organization’s Thrivent Racing Facebook page, on Instagram at @ThriventRacing and via the web atwww.ThriventRacing.com.
About Thrivent Financial
Thrivent Financial is a Fortune 500* financial services organization that helps Christians be wise with money and live generously. As a membership organization, it offers its more than 2.3 million members a broad range of products, services and guidance from financial representatives nationwide. For more than a century it has helped members make wise money choices that reflect their values while providing them opportunities to demonstrate their generosity where they live, work and worship. The organization has $109.2 billion in assets under management (as of December 31, 2015), and has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for five years in a row by The Ethisphere® Institute (2012-2015). For more information, visitwww.thrivent.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.
Insurance products issued or offered by Thrivent Financial, the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, WI. Not all products are available in all states. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55415, a FINRA and SIPC member and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent. For additional important information, visit Thrivent.com/disclosures
*Fortune, June, 2015
About Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing
Formed in 2016, Joe Falk, owner of Circle Sport Racing and Bob and Sharon Leavine, owners of Leavine Family Racing teamed up to compete in the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing. The team fields the No. 95 Chevrolet SS, driven by Michael McDowell as well as Ty Dillon in select races.
About Honor and Remember
The mission of Honor and Remember is to publicly recognize the sacrifice of America’s Military Fallen Service Members and their Families. With the establishment of the Honor and Remember Flag citizens can pay tangible tribute to all military lives lost in all wars and all branches of service from our nation’s inception. Key cornerstones focus on establishment, education, comfort and healing with specific events and the gifting of personalized Honor and Remember Flags to every grieving family.
