Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Honors Two of its Own with Employee Volunteer of the Year Award.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Thrivent Financial for Lutherans takes pride in honoring community volunteers, and for years has lauded the work of its nearly 3 million members. For 2003, the organization once again chose to also recognize the outstanding volunteer efforts of its employees.

To that end, Marie Uhrich, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans senior vice president of communications, today announced that Valerie Martinson of Minneapolis and Brian Mair of Eagan have been selected as the organization's employee volunteers of the year.

"The selection was very difficult because our employees are among the most committed volunteers in the country. We have dozens and dozens of employees who were considered for this honor and it is a true testament to Valerie and Brian that they were selected above so many other deserving co-workers," Uhrich said.

As part of the honor, Martinson and Mair each receive $2,000 from Thrivent Financial to donate to the charities of their choice. Martinson split her donation between Best prep and Accountability Minnesota and Mair split his award between Living Waters Bible Camp and the American Diabetes Association.

Much of Mair's volunteer service involves youth. At Grace & Truth Chapel, he is a youth group leader for high school students, teaches 3-4 graders at church on Tuesday nights during the school year and is an e-mentor and tutor for Folwell Middle School students. He also plans and participates in various activities for the kids throughout the year, such as Christian concerts, Twins games and fund-raising dinners. In addition, he volunteers at the House of Charity, where he serves lunch for the homeless.

Martinson works with BestPrep's Minnesota Business Venture program, providing an experiential opportunity for high school students to learn about starting their own business, career opportunities, how to invest, and how to make the most of their money. She also serves on the Minnesota Business Venture Advisory Committee, and also finds time to coach volleyball for 7th and 8th graders, and help with the Metro Paint-A-Thon, Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Thrivent Financial Chairman of the Board John Gilbert congratulated Mair and Martinson and Thrivent Financial's entire "special workforce. In 2003, our employees volunteered 125,777 hours in the community, supporting organizations such as educational and mentoring institutions, food shelves, battered women's shelters and senior care centers, among others.

"We take great pride in being able to help families, friends and neighbors in both of our home towns," Gilbert said. "We are committed to our communities, and through both money and volunteer time, we seek to improve two of the best communities in the country."

About Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a not-for-profit Fortune 500 financial services organization helping nearly three million members achieve their financial goals. Thrivent Financial and its affiliates offer a broad range of financial products and services including life insurance, annuities, mutual funds, disability income insurance, bank products and more. Thrivent Financial and its affiliates have $64.4 billion (June 30, 2004) in assets under management. As a not-for-profit organization, Thrivent Financial sponsors national outreach programs and activities that support congregations, schools, charitable organizations and needy individuals. For more information, visit www.thrivent.com.

Securities offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1665, 1-800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836) a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Member NASD. Member SIPC.