Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow
Jack Mason sat in front of his soon-to-be painted house with his wife, Judy, as enthusiastic Grand Canyon University students walked down his street Saturday morning, eager to spread mounds of landscape rock on his front yard.
“I don't ignore that. I praise that,” Mason said with a smile. “To me, GCU is a prime example of what America should do. Because some of those kids here probably are going to be politicians, and they're going to be good guys, I think.”
Twenty-five students painted the Masons’ home and enhanced the landscape with help from GCU community partner Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona as part of Lopes Go Local, a signature semiannual event to rehabilitate homes in the west Phoenix neighborhoods near the university.
GCU students made up about 90% of the 200-person workforce that painted and/or landscaped nine homes.
But this time, GCU and Habitat for Humanity expanded the boundaries of their home repair projects, which now extend from Interstate 17 to 29th Avenue to Osborn Road to Butler Drive. The initiative now is in sync with 27Collab – the community coalition of some 80 churches, businesses, government organizations, nonprofits and schools, including GCU, that look to cultivate strategic alliances in hopes of transforming the 27th Avenue corridor into a thriving community.
“I think it's super awesome that we can just go outside of the gates of GCU and just serve our local community,” said Ellie Brown, a senior marketing and advertising major. “A lot of us here (belong to) Local Outreach, and that's what it's all about. It’s just being the hands and feet of Jesus to our local community members, so I think that is super meaningful.”
The partnership between GCU and Habitat for Humanity, which started in 2014 and represents one of the largest neighborhood revitalization initiatives of its kind in the nation, is part of the university’s Five-Point Plan for the community. That plan includes serving as a good neighbor and restoring the neighborhood to its middle-class roots.
The collaboration has resulted in the renovation of 630 homes and the completion of 1,563 repairs in the last 10 years.
That has helped median home values increase by 869% in the 85017 ZIP code since 2011 – thanks in part to 39,756 GCU volunteer hours donated to the service projects, as well as funds donated by employees through the university's Allocate to Elevate program.
“These families love their neighborhood. They don't want to move. They want to take care of their home,” said Maribel Saucedo-Johnson, Habitat for Humanity chief program officer. “But sometimes, with the cost of being able just to afford everyday expenses, it doesn't become a priority to them to beautify their home or maintain it.”
The Masons have lived in the same house for 42 years, thanks in part to the GCU-Habitat partnership helping provide roofing, window and insulation upgrades, in addition to Saturday’s paint work. Their home is in the original GCU-Habitat home-repair area, while the other eight homes that were part of Lopes Go Local are in the extended project area.
“Partnerships like these are great for us because we can bring out the students," said Saucedo-Johnson. "And you know that Grand Canyon requires some service duties for the students. So what better way to do that? And on a beautiful day.”
This marked the sixth time Brown participated in a service project as a GCU student. She said she usually spends her Saturday mornings in Bible study or at a farmers market, but she and her fellow students relished the opportunity to meet in front of the GCU Student Union for snacks, drinks and prayer before sunrise – and before departing to their assigned homes.
“We're recommended to do Lopes Go Local with our ministry team, and I think just that in itself is really sweet and really good bonding,” Brown said. “I'm on the Colter Commons ministry, so we serve senior citizens that live in Colter Commons near GCU's campus, and it has just been so sweet these past three years getting to do this with my ministry team. And I think we always just leave with such good memories, and we always just have such big smiles on our faces.”
Upon arriving at homes, Habitat members delivered a brief safety primer on painting and ladder use.
The perspiration seeping through Zane Quintance’s T-shirt after shoveling landscape rock did not soil his first experience participating in a Lopes Go Local event.
“It just puts so much in perspective, especially living at GCU,” said Quintance, a senior marketing and advertising major. “Sometimes it feels like a bubble and a little isolating. But getting to come out here and spread the joy of Jesus by whatever that may be, whether it be physical labor, help, or whatever that is – especially for people that aren't as fortunate as us or a little bit older than us – is amazing to be able to spread that love and joy through our help.”
The opportunity to perform service before graduating was not lost on Quintance.
“I don't know if I'll have another opportunity to do this again, especially in my field of work. So, just being able to do as much ministry and help to the community as I can before I graduate is everything.”
While Quintance and his fellow students worked on the Masons’ home, Holly Braman was part of another group painting a house two doors down.
Braman, a sophomore behavioral health science major, leads a local outreach ministry with plenty of “servant-hearted leaders” eager to help paint houses and assist with other improvements.
Braman had previous painting experience at St. Vincent de Paul, where she and other students made crafts for children and served food for people without housing.
“I didn't really have a preference,” Braman said. “But I love painting, so I was excited about it.”
The enhancement in homes and their increasing values is a strong testament to the combination of faith, hard work and community.
Jack Mason said he would like to reciprocate the service by assisting GCU students who would like to learn about bicycle repair, from changing tire tubes to adjusting brakes and gears.
“You don't understand how meaningful this is,” he said. “It’s proof there is a God. To have these kind of people show up to help us, it's amazing. And I thank Jesus. I thank GCU, and I thank (Habitat for) Humanity.
“Just look at what they're doing. They're giving up their Saturday mornings when they should be studying or sleeping.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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Related content:
GCU News: GCU, Habitat continue to build promise at Lopes Go Local
Habitat Now! podcast: Episode 56: Decade of Partnership with Grand Canyon University, featuring President Brian Mueller
