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Habitat for Humanity volunteer Lee Bemis said many of the other
homes were also decades-old, meaning the revitalization effort was extra
beneficial to the Phoenix community.
“What we have here is this beautiful college out of the desert and a
neighborhood around it that has been here for years and years,” he said.
“What GCU and Habitat for Humanity are trying to do is to show the
community that these homes are not a threat and we are here to help
them grow with us by offering this service — so everybody wins.”
A half mile away from campus, at Bourgade Catholic High School,
students and staff from GCU and Bourgade gave the school grounds a
makeover and moved sprinklers away from a new security fence installed
around campus.
Music played as students dragged old sod, carried rocks and dug through
dirt. Even with sweat dripping off of their faces, they smiled and
encouraged one another.
“It’s a project that we’ve wanted to do for a long time, so it’s a very
exciting day,” said Sue Rounds, director of Finance and Facilities at
Bourgade. “There is so much energy here — nobody is complaining,
everybody is sweating and we are looking forward to many, many more
projects.”
It was a special sight for many students to also see GCU’s dean of
students and pastor Dr. Tim Griffin (dressed in cargo shorts and a purple
T-shirt) and President Brian Mueller (in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt)
sharing the experience.
“Based on the amount of sweat dripping from everyone’s faces, I’d say
Students were all in about getting their hands dirty.
we’ve been working pretty hard,” said Brian Watson, Bourgade’s dean of
students. “I think this ultimately gives GCU students an opportunity to
be leaders and for our students to follow by example and to see what it
means to serve. It’s phenomenal. In my two years here, I’ve never seen
anything like this.”
On the north side of GCU’s campus, senior Paulina Awuah and some
of her GCU Circle K International Club members were part of the
Landscape Crew.
The Lopes had much to smile about after a day of
serving their community.
“Our club is already focused on community service and servant
leadership, so we are here because of that passion we share,” Awuah said.
“More personally, I feel as humans it’s important to help others whether
we know them or not.”
Freshman roommates Madeline Lindey and Madison Lawson had a
dance-off while painting. As it turned out, the students were celebrating
their manual labor.
“I was nervous we wouldn’t be helpful but I think we did pretty good,”
Lindey said. “All we did was paint and yet the house looks totally
different. It looks so clean and really nice now.”
Throughout the productive service day, junior Kyle Hammond said he
wasn’t surprised by the positive atmosphere the students carried on.
“I think we all understand the meaning of wanting to give back to a
community that has blessed us,” he said.
Communi t y Highl ights