Story by Eric Jay Toll
With the 2025-26 school year fast approaching, Grand Canyon University is partnering with Lerner and Rowe Gives Back, the nonprofit arm of Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys, to supply K-12 students with 1,000 school-supply-filled backpacks.
The giveaway, just one of six events in four states where 6,500 backpacks will be distributed, is slated from 4-6 p.m. July 28 at the university’s business complex on 27th Avenue and Camelback Road.
Lerner and Rowe Gives Back is holding the annual distribution on GCU’s campus for the first time, with the space at the university's 27th Avenue business complex allowing the community event to grow and have a bigger community impact.
Kevin Rowe, founder of Lerner and Rowe Gives Back and managing partner of Lerner and Rowe, said his team is thrilled to be at GCU this year, “a wonderful college and well-known name in the Valley.
“It became clear that teaming up with GCU was the perfect opportunity to help uplift and support families throughout the West Valley,” he said. “Our backpack giveaway is about more than school supplies – it’s about showing kids and families that their community is cheering them on.”
In addition to the backpacks filled with supplies, Lerner and Rowe Gives Back gave GCU CityServe a grant of $15,000.
GCU CityServe partners with more than 100 churches, nonprofits and other community organizations to distribute household goods and other items to those who need them. More than $15.3 million of goods, including beds, furniture, heaters, diapers and food have been distributed to more than 74,000 families in the community since 2021.
Noah Wolfe, senior director of GCU Development and Advancement, said the grant helps support the university’s Five-Point Plan to transform the community around GCU. That plan includes serving families in need, making neighborhoods safer, improving home values, supporting K-12 education and creating jobs.
“Together, Lerner and Rowe and GCU are immediately impacting lives in our community,” Wolfe said.
Added Steven Owens, director of Donor Stewardship and Development for GCU, “This generous gift from Lerner and Rowe Gives Back will help enhance the ongoing work of GCU CityServe by expanding our ability to serve families in the West Valley. Support like this allows us to strengthen our distribution efforts – especially for largescale events focused on providing food and other essential items – while continuing to build meaningful connections with our surrounding community.”
The backpack distribution, which is in its 10th year, also will include face painting, balloons, free giveaways, popcorn and an ice cream truck.
Backpacks will be given first come, first served, to students who attend in person and are accompanied by an adult. Families are advised to line up early, as the distribution goes fast.
The event also will feature other community partners, such as Phoenix Raceway’s Zoom Crew, which will bring a branded vehicle, local influencers, and Somos Dental, which will be setting up appointments for free X-rays and dental exams.
Other backpack distribution sites in Arizona will be in Tucson, Yuma and Bullhead City. Lerner and Rowe Gives Back also will be giving away backpacks in Albuquerque, Las Vegas and Chicago.
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