Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Community service kept at core of Lopes' values
4/30/2024 9:30:00 AM | General, S-A Development
GCU student-athletes set department record with 3,200 service hours
Grand Canyon's championship prowess requires the same levels of work ethic, teamwork and passion that GCU Athletics displays in its annual community service.
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Since taking the lead of GCU Athletics in 2019, Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs embedded the "five Cs" as pillars for how Lopes students-athletes, coaches and staffers would carry themselves. Community was at the forefront of those Cs, but the other Cs are just as much a part of how GCU student-athletes serve: continuous Improvement, collaboration, Christian Leadership and championships.
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GCU has continuously improved in its dedication to helping others, dedicating 3,200 community service hours during the 2023-24 school year for a 34% improvement from its 2021-22 total.
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"As a university and athletic department, serving others is at the core of everything we do, so to see the dedication and buy-in of our student-athletes to that mission has been incredible," GCU Director of Student-Athlete Development Katy Keenan said. "They recognize the impact they can make and how important it is to give back to the community that supports them. Because of that, they have challenged themselves to raise the bar every year."
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Those community service hours are spread out over the Valley to impact numerous organizations and causes. GCU dedicated 459 of those 3,200 service hours to St. Mary's Food Bank, a west Phoenix neighbor of GCU that helps feed low-income families in nine Arizona counties.
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Nine GCU teams, as well as department staff members, helped the food bank in various ways. Many formed assembly lines to pack food boxes at the St. Mary's facility. The men's and women's swimming and diving team collected canned foods during the Arizona State Fair and volunteered alongside the Lopes baseball team at the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Drive.
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GCU Athletics' wide-spread impact comes from an inclusive effort. Six teams, plus staff members, spent 249 hours in aid to Christian nonprofil organization Feed My Starving Children. The softball, women's basketball and women's golf programs spent 104 hours assisting at the warehouse for CityServe, a Christian outreach ministry that works with national retailers to distribute household goods through Arizona churches and nonprofit organizations.
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Eleven teams dispersed across the Valley for Read Across America events between Feb. 26 and March 1. The Lopes reached seven elementary schools with 175 hours of student-athletes' time.
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GCU Athletics' dedication to the idea of community service is shown in an annual award, the L.O.P.E.S. Cup, that recognizes the qualities of leadership, ownership, purpose, excellence and service. The beach volleyball team won the honor for a second consecutive year after devoting more than 400 hours to community service over a year.
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Since taking the lead of GCU Athletics in 2019, Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs embedded the "five Cs" as pillars for how Lopes students-athletes, coaches and staffers would carry themselves. Community was at the forefront of those Cs, but the other Cs are just as much a part of how GCU student-athletes serve: continuous Improvement, collaboration, Christian Leadership and championships.
Â
GCU has continuously improved in its dedication to helping others, dedicating 3,200 community service hours during the 2023-24 school year for a 34% improvement from its 2021-22 total.
Â
"As a university and athletic department, serving others is at the core of everything we do, so to see the dedication and buy-in of our student-athletes to that mission has been incredible," GCU Director of Student-Athlete Development Katy Keenan said. "They recognize the impact they can make and how important it is to give back to the community that supports them. Because of that, they have challenged themselves to raise the bar every year."Â
Those community service hours are spread out over the Valley to impact numerous organizations and causes. GCU dedicated 459 of those 3,200 service hours to St. Mary's Food Bank, a west Phoenix neighbor of GCU that helps feed low-income families in nine Arizona counties.
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Nine GCU teams, as well as department staff members, helped the food bank in various ways. Many formed assembly lines to pack food boxes at the St. Mary's facility. The men's and women's swimming and diving team collected canned foods during the Arizona State Fair and volunteered alongside the Lopes baseball team at the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Drive.
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GCU Athletics' wide-spread impact comes from an inclusive effort. Six teams, plus staff members, spent 249 hours in aid to Christian nonprofil organization Feed My Starving Children. The softball, women's basketball and women's golf programs spent 104 hours assisting at the warehouse for CityServe, a Christian outreach ministry that works with national retailers to distribute household goods through Arizona churches and nonprofit organizations.Â
Eleven teams dispersed across the Valley for Read Across America events between Feb. 26 and March 1. The Lopes reached seven elementary schools with 175 hours of student-athletes' time.
Â
GCU Athletics' dedication to the idea of community service is shown in an annual award, the L.O.P.E.S. Cup, that recognizes the qualities of leadership, ownership, purpose, excellence and service. The beach volleyball team won the honor for a second consecutive year after devoting more than 400 hours to community service over a year.
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