Cover
Story
GCU TODAY • 7
B Y B O B R O M A N T I C
S
ix-year-old Gadiel walked up
to Louis Falk at the dedication
ceremony for his family’s new home and
offered two simple words:
“Thank you.”
For Falk, who taught Gadiel to use a hammer on the first day
of the Habitat for Humanity project to build their home in Mesa, those words
resonated more than he could have imagined.
“That was amazing,” Falk, a freshman at Grand Canyon University, said of
his first experience as a Habitat volunteer two years ago. “It’s just heartwarming
to see how grateful these people are.”
Vanessa Garcia, a 27-year-old administrative assistant at GCU, had a similar
encounter at her first Habitat experience five years ago.
“It was for a single momwith two kids who couldn’t afford a home on her
own,” Garcia said. “To see it from beginning to end, every Saturday morning,
and watch her dream come true, the impact is just incredible.”
Garcia and Falk have been hooked on Habitat ever since those initial
experiences. So when GCU announced it was embarking on a first-of-its-kind
partnership with Habitat for Humanity to revitalize an entire community of
homes in its neighborhood over the next five years, they were among the first
to sign up.
“I was excited,” Falk said. “Part of college is we are given a great
opportunity to go and learn, but we have to give back. This is a great way to
give back to the community.”
Embracing
the Community
Partnership with
Habitat part of
GCU’s five-point plan
to revitalize
neighborhood
Habitat for Humanity leaders
(center) are joined by a swarm of
purple volunteers in a one-of-a-kind
partnership with GCU to renovate
homes in the surrounding community.
photo by darryl webb
