One of GCU’s goals is to better our neighborhood through service opportunities. GCU students and staff provide hundreds of volunteer hours annually to local nonprofit agencies, including Phoenix Dream Center, Hopefest, American Cancer Society and Phoenix Rescue Mission.
In addition, GCU hosts its own annual signature events, specifically geared toward improving facilities and services for those in our immediate community. These events include Serve the City Days, Salute Our Troops, Canyon Cares Christmas and the Run to Fight Children's Cancer.
GCU is involved in one of the largest Habitat for Humanity projects in the country. As of May 2021, GCU and our partners have collaborated with Habitat for Humanity to contribute over 26,200 volunteer hours, serve over 340 families and complete over 860 repairs since 2015.
This partnership helps neighborhood homeowners make necessary repairs to improve their residences and home values. Renovation projects include painting, landscaping, roofing, new windows, air conditioning and other structural repairs. Habitat for Humanity provides the leadership, tools and equipment, while GCU students and employees provide volunteer manpower as well as subsidies to help cover the costs of the repairs.
There is great mutual benefit in GCU's ambitious neighborhood outreach. Improving the surrounding area makes our campus safer and more inviting. Through this outreach and other GCU initiatives, such as growing campus enrollment from area high schools, the university continues to be a vital part of our neighborhood.
