Community

The GCU Recording Studio usually is a busy place, and part of the reason is the relationship that has been built with the high school community. Concert bands, choirs, jazz bands and other musical groups have gotten an opportunity to come to the studio and make professional-sounding recordings, and Valley Christian Schools took it to the next level by turning it into a video.

Dr. Howard Carlson, an adjunct GCU professor in the College of Education and the reigning Arizona Superintendents Association Superintendent of the Year, shares experience and insight in his new book, “Accelerated Wisdom: 50 Practical Insights for Today’s Superintendent.” Carlson, the superintendent of the Wickenburg Unified School District, shared several of the book’s main points in a question-and-answer session with GCU Today.

Photos by Theresa Smith and Debbie Accomazzo GCU News Bureau Members of the GCU community helped hand out Thanksgiving meals Monday at the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance Turkey Distribution event.

On many fronts, GCU is striving to ease food insecurity in the Valley by partnering with the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. Thunder, the women’s basketball and volleyball teams, along with members of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences made an impact on Monday. “Everyone wants to feel special and there is nothing better at Thanksgiving than to have the community rally to make sure everybody has a good meal and enjoys the time with their families,” said GCU women’s basketball coach Nicole Powell.

The competitive nature of GCU’s baseball players paid off in successful marketing techniques Saturday as the Lopes encouraged shoppers at the Moon Valley Safeway to donate $1,334.73 and a record 132 turkeys for the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance Super Saturday Turkey Drive. “They became advocates for food insecurity in Arizona,” said Debbie Accomazzo, GCU Community Outreach Manager.

Story by Theresa Smith Photos by Travis Neely GCU New Bureau When Eh Win was 6, she and her parents, Ku and Poe, left their home in Thailand and settled in west Phoenix. She grew up one mile from Grand Canyon University and dreamed of becoming the first person in her family to attend college. The oldest of six children, Win established herself as an honors student at Cortez High School and began attending the ACE (Academic and Career Excellence Centers) at the Learning Lounge on the GCU campus for help with her classes and to begin banking the 100 hours needed for eligibility for a Students Inspiring Students (SIS) scholarship. On a marvelous Tuesday night, Win’s dream came true. She was among nine students awarded SIS scholarships with a surprise celebration on the patio of GCU Ballpark at Brazell Field. “Tonight is your night,’’ Dr. Joe Veres, GCU’s Vice President of Student Success, told the awestruck assembly of SIS recipients, their parents and siblings, who thought they were on campus  for a mandatory scholarship information meeting. Instead, they were greeted with applause by ACE staff and Learning Advocates (LEADs) and feted with balloons, refreshments and music. “We always try to […]

It was a serendipitous moment when Jerry Colangelo dialed Nathan Johnson’s number, granting his wish for $5,000 in physical education equipment for his students at Westwood Elementary. Colangelo is connected to GCU as a benefactor whose name graces the Colangelo College of Business, and Johnson is a GCU alumnus. The Lopes were also involved in the Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers initiative as sponsors and as wish granters, and Dr. Kimberly LaPrade, the Dean of the College of Education, selected the names of three lucky teachers from the large red plastic apple.

This is getting to be a habit: For the third straight year, a Grand Canyon team won the University division of the Stock Market Challenge, an annual fundraiser in which teams build a fictitious portfolio by reacting to market news and fluctuations. But this time the GCU teams finished 1-2 in the event.

It wasn’t just another Serve the City on Saturday — it was a big one. GCU’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity passed the 200 mark in families served and also reached milestones for repairs and volunteers. Making it even more special was the fact that one of the homes being worked on belongs to the first homeowner to sign up nearly four years ago.

Story by Ryan Kryska Photos by David Kadlubowski GCU News Bureau Laura Capello remembers back in the late 1990s when she met a 40-year-old “little,” whose “big” in the Big Brother Big Sister of Central Arizona organization was 80 years old. The two had met when the little was a preteen and developed such a great relationship that they still talked more than two decades later. Capello, now president of the Central Arizona organization, said that relationship truly showed her the lasting impact Big Brothers Big Sisters can make on children but also adults. “His big brother has since passed, but they just became family,” Capello said. “That’s our ultimate goal.” Capello and company were out Wednesday night at Paul’s Car Wash, a weeklong fundraiser for the Central Arizona organization that has become its biggest support event since Paul Horton, CBS 5 meteorologist, launched it in 2007. Capello herself is a big and said she has been matched for four years. “She’s smart, she’s caring, but she needs somebody,” Capello said. “She’s just dealing with challenges that no kid should have to deal with. We’re about igniting the potential that is already in these kids. We just need someone to […]