Vice Mayor Ray Malner helps lead Glendale ‘Serve Day’ at Granada Estates

Glendale Vice Mayor Ray Malner joined volunteers on Serve Day at the Granada Estates neighborhood to help with yard maintenance, rock placement and curb-number painting intended to help homes that are out of compliance with local property standards.

Malner said the program partners with churches, nonprofit organizations, code compliance and other groups that sponsor and supply labor and materials. "They can hardly believe that the government is actually doing something like this," he said, describing residents’ reactions and calling the program "no cost to the neighborhood." He added that his office supplies some materials while partner groups contribute labor and other supplies.

The team worked on five homes during the visit, Malner said, and provided yard work for roughly "four or five" additional houses — an approximate figure he offered while describing the day's scope. Volunteers also painted numbers on curbs and distributed literature about services available to residents.

A volunteer, Aditi, who identified herself with Siwa — a Hindu-based volunteer organization active in Arizona — said the group is largely student-driven and often seeks projects such as food distribution at Saint Mary's and neighborhood cleanups. "I get a great sense of joy and community" from volunteering, she said.

Host Mike noted that many volunteers were high-school-age students; Aditi confirmed the group primarily accepts ninth- through twelfth-graders. Malner encouraged interested volunteers to sign up through the City of Glendale website, glendaleaz.gov, and to contact his council office by email to participate next year.

The event was presented as a community service and beautification effort rather than a formal city action; no votes, motions or budget decisions were discussed during the segment. The city and partners framed the work as volunteer-driven and offered at no cost to participating homeowners.