Thrivent Financial & CSLFR Honor PFC Andrew Krippner at Coca-Cola 600

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.

CSLFR PR