Would you like to go on a free trip to build homes in El Salvador?
Kyle Nowadnick, 26, of Snohomish, was thrilled to receive such a call in December.
He was chosen to be on a team of more than 30 Thrivent Financial for Lutherans representatives from around the country to visit El Salva
dor and build homes.
The team will take off May 14 and stay for nine days.
A representative from each region of Thrivent Financial was selected based on sales performance and volunteer experience.
Nowadnick, who has worked with the company as a financial adviser since 2008, is the only representative from the Pacific Northwest region, which includes Western Washington and parts of Oregon and Alaska.
Thrivent Builds Worldwide with Habitat for Humanity is a multimillion-dollar partnership between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity. The partnership brings together Thrivent members and Lutherans to provide shelter for families.
Thrivent Financial, the company, is a nonprofit organization that is exempt from corporate sales tax. Trips are funded through the money that would have otherwise gone to the government, Nowadnick said.
This year, as many as 25 Thrivent Builds Worldwide teams will travel to El Salvador through the partnership.
For the past two summers, Nowadnick has helped to build homes in Burlington and Snoqualmie. He looks forward to doing his part on a larger scale on his first trip abroad.
“It will be a life-changing experience,” he said.
Each team member will help build the foundation, paint and complete basic construction of the homes that will be sold to local families. Local Habitat for Humanity representatives will help.
“The locals are the site foremen,” Nowadnick said.
Nowadnick looks forward to the experience with slight concern for the language barrier, hoping his high school Spanish classes will lend a hand.
“Hopefully, I can at least converse in broken Spanglish,” he said.
Each team member will be allowed a free day to explore the country, with options including hiking, traveling to the beach for surf lessons, shopping and sightseeing.
Nowadnick will head to the beach for his day off.
“I went surfing in Hawaii and loved it,” he said. “But, boy, that kicks your butt.”
The group will be split into teams to catalogue the trip, taking pictures and keeping a team journal with daily entries about their experiences.
“I’m going to take it all in and choke it all up,” Nowadnick said.
Ashley Stewart: astewart@heraldnet.com; 425-339-3453.
Help out
In May, local financial adviser Kyle Nowadnick will travel with a team to El Salvador to build homes for families through the nonprofit Thrivent Builds Worldwide with Habitat for Humanity.
•Donate at:
www.tinyurl.com/ donateelsalvador
•Read the journal at:
www.tinyurl.com/ buildjournal
•Reach Nowadnick at:
www.tinyurl.com/ kylenowadnick
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