The students of Cristo Rey Kansas City have not been immune to the financial hardships linked to Covid-19. Nearly one-third of their families experienced job loss or reduced hours as the virus spread. Some welcome assistance, however, arrived this year from Thrivent, a purpose-driven financial services organization, that doubled-down and awarded not one but two $15,000 grants to help the school meet the increased demands of education in a global pandemic.

Concerned about the long term consequences of the pandemic on low-income students’ academic progress, the national financial services organization stepped into the gap to assist the students of Cristo Rey.

“Last summer, Thrivent’s Manager of Community Engagement Nancy Hintz took the time to explore how Cristo Rey was adapting to the new normal, what toll this was taking on students and teachers, and inquired how Thrivent could help,” said President John O’Connor. 

“Thrivent’s initial gift of $15,000 enabled us to mobilize and get students back in school,” said O’Connor. “Thrivent helped us retro-fit the nurse’s office, main school office and our buses with transparent physical-distancing barriers. Upgraded critical software for distance-learning helped struggling families with school uniforms,” he said.

“To our great surprise, Thrivent stepped back in and offered to issue a $15,000 challenge grant to upgrade student technology so that all students would learn on similar devices,” said O’Connor.

At Cristo Rey’s Virtual Dancing with the Kansas City Stars, Thrivent’s challenge was met by generous individuals and Axis Capital Management. In this school year, all students have use of Dell ChromeBooks that are managed by the school.

“Thrivent is so pleased to be able to support the students and staff of Cristo Rey,” said Hintz. “We believe that humanity thrives when people make the most of all they are given. It’s an honor to help the students of Cristo Rey make the most of their talents, gifts and opportunities, which will ultimately lead to thriving lives, families and communities,” she said.                                                       ####

About Thrivent
Thrivent believes that money is a tool, not a goal. Driven by a higher purpose at the core, Thrivent commits to provide financial advice, investments, insurance, banking, and generosity programs to help people make the most of all they've been given.

About Cristo Rey Kansas City
Cristo Rey Kansas City is a private, Catholic, college and career preparatory high school sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. As one of the 37 schools in the Cristo Rey Network, the school serves culturally diverse students with economic need.