Outreach

“We no longer have two communities of GCU and the Canyon Corridor, you now have one. GCU just happens to be a university within the corridor.” Isn’t that extraordinary? Those are the words of Habitat for Humanity’s Director of Sponsor Relations, Cassandra Jarles. The partnership between GCU and Habitat has truly impacted lives, from the families whose houses are revitalized to the employee volunteers who are blessed with being able to serve them. The partnership is on pace to revitalize its 200th home on the Oct. 27 Serve the City date, but there’s a lot of work to do to make it there. GCU and Habitat need you — yes, you! — to sign up for one of the fall’s employee volunteer events, the first of which is Sept. 21.

In 1978, Ray Arvizu led the Lopes to an NAIA basketball national championship. His impact on the community easily could have stopped there. But Arvizu dove into charity work in his hometown of Phoenix and for the past 14 years has run an event at GCU called Ninos Seguros. The back-to-school giveaway has a mission of teaching childhood safety and brings together the diverse community of Phoenix for a day of fun.

The best of the community is hiding in plain sight in GCU Arena, where by the end of the day the Back-to-School Clothing Drive will have provided shirts, pants, shoes, wallets, hair clips, school supplies and dental screenings to about 5,000 children, with 1,500 of those being foster kids. The event partnered with Arizona’s foster community this year to expand its reach, which means the world to foster parents. “They’ve been through a lot more than we’ll probably ever understand,” Josh Rice said

One thousand kids served, 4,000 to go: The Back-to-School Clothing Drive’s New Clothes, New Beginnings kicked off Monday with GCU Day. Lopes were out in full support of the weeklong event, which donates new clothes and other school supplies to local children. It’s in its fifth year of turning GCU Arena into a seven-department shopping center where children walk through and pick out fresh attire.

DNA necklaces and DNA code bead bracelets just might be the unlikeliest type of jewelry. But they were a couple of the academic jewels made by seventh- and eighth- graders Monday at the Thunder Vision Biovision STEM Day Camp. It’s just one of four such camps — the others are Cybervision, Robovision and Technovision — unfurling this week on the GCU campus, courtesy of Strategic Educational Alliances. The camps serve SEA’s mission to support kindergarten- through 12th-grade students and educators while fostering a college culture.

Senior Bre L’Estrange will compete in July in the Miss Earth United States contest after being selected as Colorado’s delegate for the pageant. But in her down time, she volunteered at St. Vincent de Paul’s Dream Center to teach children about recycling. The center plays many roles for Phoenix families, especially their children, who are in need of a helping hand.

GCU News Bureau For the second year, members of the Phoenix Lopes Alumni Chapter volunteered at the “Friday Night Pizza” event at St. Vincent de Paul. Phoenix Lopes Chapter President Vince Licciardi was excited to welcome alumni, all who felt blessed to participate. If you’re a GCU alum in the Phoenix area and interested in volunteering for future events, sign up here to ensure you receive notifications about future events.    

The Summer Institute isn’t quite like the traditional s’mores and campfire summer camp. Instead, the more than a dozen academic camps in various GCU colleges saw high school sophomores, juniors and seniors learning about Trojan malware, investigating the qualities of polyvinyl alcohol cryogels, writing poetry or executing mock warrants — and making friends while staying in the University’s dorms for the two- to four-day camps. The institute geared up recently with various science camps and will continue throughout the summer with humanities, business, honors camps.

The Serve the Summer list of volunteer opportunities is available, and it includes ways to help children and those stuck in the heat. GCU Day is scheduled for July 23 and will be a great time to raise your hand. This year’s day of service is wrapped into the Back To School Clothing Drive.

Story by Theresa Smith Photos by David Kadlubowski  GCU News Bureau The ball is hoisted by the 6-year-old to the sure-handed 6-foot-7 athlete who playfully dekes the duo of pint-sized campers earnestly trying to guard him. It is a moment among millions at the individual youth session of the Dan Majerle boy’s basketball camp, and it symbolizes the cycle of the Grand Canyon University men’s basketball program. The hustling youngsters improve their skills, connect with the coaches — student-athletes and coaching staff of the 2018-19 men’s basketball team — develop an interest in and love for Lopes basketball, and become fans of the program, if not future members of the team. Exhibit A: the five friends, including two sets of brothers laughing and learning on Tuesday morning at the Lopes Performance Center. Lesson No. 1, according to Ashton Hollenberg, “Do not be a ball hog. Do not shoot if you’re not open.’’ His friend, Evan Engstrom, expressed a similar sentiment. “I’ve learned how to be a good teammate,’’ said Engstrom. “Coach is basically teaching everyone how to be a good teammate and how to share the ball.’’ Brothers T.J. Lyons and Connor Lyons are digging the shooting drills. “It feels […]