Serving the local community? Grand Canyon University’s Honors College is in.
From preparing meals and making blankets to organizing clothing drives and playing games with youth, the Honors College recently delved into its Service in Action month, extending students' helping hands beyond GCU's Phoenix campus.
“Service is a staple of the Honors College,” said Anya Cofrancesco, Honors College assistant director. “By hosting this campaign, we are living out our value as opposed to just saying we have it.”
As one of its core values, the Honors College has consistently organized a service day for its students over the years. But with the college’s immense growth, the student interest skyrocketed, and the humanitarian initiative grew from a one-day project, to a week and now, a month.
Instead of jam-packing limited volunteer opportunities in a short timeframe, the college wanted to provide an ample number of projects for Lopes to participate in and create a schedule that conveniently worked around their classes.
Students could jump into five service events featured weekly.
“I love service,” junior Acey Faulkner said. “Service is the best way we can reach people. There are so many different ways to serve outside of campus that’s important and valuable. You are working with other students, and the intentional community that it builds is awesome. You don’t get that anywhere else.”
The college challenged itself to reach 500 service hours for the 2025-26 academic year. By partnering with local organizations, such as St. Vincent de Paul, St. Mary’s Food Bank, Feed My Starving Children, Saving Amy, GCU CityServe, Fellowship Square Nursing Home, TRUST AZ and Arizona Animal Welfare League, students completed roughly 400 service hours just in October.
It is a testament to the valuable principles the Honors College upholds and mentors its students to exemplify.
Some participated for credit, some for fun, but most to contribute to a greater cause that blesses the less fortunate and relieves those in need.
Junior Danna Arreola did not hesitate to take advantage of the many opportunities. Her passionate commitment led her to accumulate the most volunteered hours among other students.
“My initial goal was to get volunteer hours I need for dental school,” Arreola said. “But toward the end, I was really loving it and thought I’d keep helping.
“I am grateful for Honors College because it kept me on my path to dental school, and it’s given me more compassion and insight into what I actually want.”
Faulker began making calls in late July, searching for organizations that exemplified similar values as the Honors College, supported the Phoenix community through giving and lived out the Christian mission.
The initiative ended with 15 completed projects, a donation drive that spanned the month and 190 participants that faithfully served.
It was the simple and mundane moments that made all the effort worth it, such as hearing ‘thank you’ from children, writing cards with sweet and encouraging messages for the elderly or racing each other while packing bread in boxes to see who could go the fastest.
“We had so many repeat people coming back and wanting to serve again,” junior Judah Floyd said. “I think the best people who are going to be leaders in the future are the people serving others. Service is where we see an alignment of the Honors College values, GCU values and Christian values come together.”
GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at [email protected]
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