Outreach

The first Students Inspiring Students Golf Classic drew a sold-out field, which means more than $300,000 for the full-tuition scholarship program. But it also gave the participants a chance to meet some of the students whose lives have been changed by the program, and the students got to express their gratitude, too. “I couldn’t be any more grateful to everybody who donated money to get me to the position I’m in,” freshman Derek Coles said.

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau The first Students Inspiring Students Golf Classic drew a sold-out field to GCU Golf Course on Thursday.  

Grand Canyon University, in partnership with Chicanos por la Causa, will host the inaugural Students Inspiring Students Golf Classic at the Grand Canyon University Championship Golf Course on Thursday, November 18. Presented by Pacific Office Automation, the Golf Classic is expected to raise more than $300,000 for GCU’s Students Inspiring Students (SIS) scholarship fund.

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau ROTC cadets from Grand Canyon University marched in a Veterans Parade on Thursday at the Paradise Peak West retirement community and then got to talk with the veterans afterward. Here’s the story.  

Separated only by generations and many wars, GCU ROTC cadets who marched in a Veterans Day parade were struck by the sweep of history on Thursday. Viviana Mora, 19, leaned down to hear the stories of Ginny Davis, 99, a World War II veteran. The GCU sophomore got emotional, thinking of the veterans honored at Paradise Peak West retirement community who served our country more than 75 years ago and sang before the flag she carried.

Photos by Ralph Freso GCU News Bureau For the first time since the start of the pandemic, GCU students were out in full force Saturday for Serve the City. Here’s the story.  

Homeowners on Saturday got a big surprise. Not only did about 200 GCU students descend on their homes to complete landscaping and painting projects, but some of them also received household goods from the University’s new CityServe warehouse. Students fanned out into the neighborhood this weekend to work on home improvement projects at nine homes. The renovation blitz was part of Serve the City, the first Serve the City since COVID hit in spring 2020. “It’s nice to see everyone out here doing it (volunteering) for the same reasons: to show the love of God to others,” said one of the student volunteers, Brooke Alaniva.

The new Golden Lopes program, designed to give older learners an opportunity to keep their minds sharp, began this month. It kicked off with a luncheon at which two full-tuition GCU scholarships were handed out in a random drawing. “By having different classes here at GCU, it helps the seniors mentally and even physically walk around the campus and see the life of our students,” said Homer Drew, who helped organize the program.

GCU has created 14,000 jobs in the last decade or so. It also has invested $1.5 billion in educational infrastructure in that time, and along with its partners, the University generates approximately $2.1 billion in economic impact annually for Phoenix. It’s part of the reason the University was recognized Thursday night with an award at WESTMARC’s 29th annual Best of the West ceremony.

The Honors College has grown so much in the last eight years, one day dedicated to service events wasn’t enough. This week, it hosted its first Commitment to Service Week, providing an opportunity for multiple Honors clubs to volunteer at nonprofit organizations. “We just wanted to integrate service much more heavily and integrate this initiative into the college this semester,” Honors College Program Manager Anya Cofrancesco said. “We just decided to go big and make this a huge campaign. It’s been incredible to see their (students) compassion and just rolling up their sleeves and getting into the community.”