Spring semester Serve the City highlighted the new Habitat for Humanity partnership this past weekend. Over 200 Grand Canyon University students joined forces to serve the community. Eight homes with nine work projects- all within walking distance from the Phoenix campus- were clad in purple Saturday morning.

Paint-speckled students, staff and Habitat workers came together to make an impact in the lives of the community members. The students that served sacrificed sleep and their weekend to help our surrounding neighbors with nothing expected in return.

Junior Cassandra Cothron was participating in this partnership not only for Serve the City, but hoping for more opportunities to give back. “I have never worked with Habitat before, so I thought that it would be really cool to experience to give back,” said Cothron. “If you make the community a little prettier, people will love it a little better,” she concluded.

This Serve the City marks the kickoff for Habitat and GCU’s partnership that will be taking place over the next five years. Both partners want students to be as involved as they possibly can be.

Alex McEachern, one of the site supervisors with Habitat, also shared his passion for helping people and communities. “The partnership is awesome because habitat can’t do it alone,” said McEachern. “You know, it takes more than a village. What it does, is it opens up for us to be able to do more, especially in this area.

GCU hopes to have many more chances for students to serve with Habitat over the rest of the semester and students are encouraged keep an eye out for any announcements on upcoming opportunities.

 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather serve one another humbly in love. (Galatians 5:13)