Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona

GCU and Habitat for Humanity are about to reach yet another important milestone. Since the collaboration began seven years ago to restore homes in the Canyon Corridor, the west Phoenix community partners are nearing 1,000 repairs for 400 families. And that partnership has come back strong this year after GCU and Habitat paused repair projects during the pandemic. The initiative will be celebrated Thursday, Habitat Night, at the men’s basketball game.

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.

On her own 3D printer at home in Florence, Arizona, GCU robotics and engineering major Kylee Rodgers likes to print keychains and other trinkets. But 3D printing is a whole new ballgame on her current project — helping build the first Habitat for Humanity 3D-printed house. “I saw news articles a couple of years ago about 3D-printed houses, but they were just tiny. It hasn’t been ANYTHING like this. … It’s really cool,” said Kylee, who is volunteering alongside her father, Dominic, the Habitat volunteer team lead on the Tempe project.

Office of Financial Aid Vice President Chris Arnold sees firsthand how Allocate to Elevate impacts his community. He remembers receiving a letter, written on grade-school, wide-ruled paper, about trip to the Arizona Science Center taken by a student at a school he supports through the initiative. He passes on that passion for the program to his team, which is always the first to reach 90% participation in Allocate to Elevate. JoAnna Langston, Director in the Office of Financial Aid, said the team doesn’t make the program a backburner item. “You make it a priority item,” she said.

GCU and GCE volunteers fanned out to two homes in the neighborhood on Friday, digging into painting and landscaping projects and defying the July heat. Homeowner Mira Nava recalled the first time Habitat visited her home eight years ago to fix the roof. Her mother was battling cancer at the time and told Nava: “This is a reminder that God is still here.” Andrea Northup, Habitat for Humanity Faith Relations Manager, told Nava: “That’s what GCU lives by — faith.”