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CANYON CORRIDOR CONNECTION 2016
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Communi t y Highl ights
Canyon Kids Program
is in Full Swing
W
ith GCU volunteers leading the way,
neighborhood children have had the
time of their young lives in the last
several years – and continue to do so today.
At 9 a.m. on a Saturday, while many of
their peers at Grand Canyon University are
slumbering or shaking off the night’s cobwebs,
about 50 enthusiastic volunteers are hopping and
bopping to Christian rap music.
They are getting ready to leave campus to gather
children ages 3-15 for a morning of games, crafts
and skits at a nearby park in a weekly program
called Canyon Kids.
The rap is the energetic beginning of a
ritual that for many is the highlight of their
week: bringing joy and ministry to a rapidly
growing population of children who live in the
neighborhoods surrounding GCU.
What started as a handful of Department
of Spiritual Life volunteers working with a
small group of kids in Little Canyon Park has
blossomed today into a vital ministry with
dozens of GCU students and more than 100
children in two parks, said Jaci Curran, Spiritual
Life outreach coordinator.
The Canyon Kids program is so successful, this
year organizers began a new outreach in Cielito
Park.
“The purpose in our Canyon Kids program
is to create a safe environment surrounded
by volunteers who love the Lord and who are
Christ-centered and instill Biblical truths into
the kids,” said Yvanna Rodriguez, a student
leader.
Already, parents and children are flocking to the
fledgling Cielito Park program, which started
this year from 15 children the first week, the
number sprang to 45 by week four and is still
growing, Rodriguez said.
Street Outreach
After the hip hop, the volunteers split into two
groups. Rodriguez and others knock on doors as
they make their way, Pied Piper style, to Cielito
Park.
To build a critical mass of children for the new
arm of the program, volunteers went door to
door to every house near the park, brochures
and permission slips in hand, to invite children
to Canyon Kids.
“At first, everyone was kind of shy, reserved,“
Rodriguez said of the children.
But many – such as the three Vazquez sisters,
Romina, 6, Marianna, 8, and Brianda, 11 – are
waiting outside their homes for the weekly visit.
Ponytails bouncing, they rush to hug their GCU
friends.
Their mother, Alma, waves goodbye. That
parents like Alma are content to watch their
children walk down the street with GCU
students is a testament to the level of trust the
Canyon Kids program instills.
Laughter, chatter and shouts of joy fill the air
as kids arrive at the park. Some kick a soccer
ball and play hopscotch while others make for
the swings and slides. Some cluster around a
handful of picnic tables and play with chalk and
nail polish.
“I think I’m addicted to purple,” Brianda says,
giggling, as Megan Ziegler, a sophomore nursing
student, helps her paint her nails. “I like it
because of GCU!”
Crafts, Skits and
Activities
For the arts and crafts project, the children
create pictures using paste and construction
paper. They also enact a fun skit and engage in
other fun activities.
“Seeing all the kids have engaged, one-on-one
time with people who genuinely care and love
on them” is a moving sight for Rodriguez. “And
when you see how the children respond, it’s
amazing.” God can do His work here at the park.
Christian Barrow, who happened to be in the
park with her children, Alison, 5, and Romel,
2½, strode over to request a permission slip.
“This is perfect for the community,” Barrow
said. “All these kids will get to know each other
better.”
Over at Little Canyon Park, Fallon sits cross-
legged in the grass surrounded by more than a
dozen children who are munching fruit snacks.
“The volunteers have such passion and love for
the kids,” Meek said. “It’s so amazing to see so
many smiles. Sometimes I can’t even explain
how much I enjoy these kids.”
Britannee Carranza, a junior justice studies
student, said she had to skip a few Saturdays and
noticed the difference.
“I missed the children so much,“ she said. “It’s
so rewarding. Just teaching and watching them
progress is so cool.”
by Laurie Merrill