A group of BYU engineering students spent finals and winter break spreading Christmas cheer through service, volunteering time to help less fortunate homeowners through “Subcontractors for Santa.”
51 students signed up with the civil and construction engineering department to complete repair projects without charge for those without time or resources to fix dangerous, uncomfortable living conditions in their homes.
Christmas of 2025 marks the eighth year that BYU students have chosen to close their semester and year with service with Subcontractors for Santa. Two groups completed two projects over two weekends: one cleaning vents and the other giving a house an exterior facelift.
Team leads like Kaden Garns, a second-year participant in Subcontractors for Santa, coordinated the efforts, scheduling with the homeowner, locating materials and resources, and making sure there are enough tools and hands to get it done. As a small construction business owner, Garns found no reason not to use his resources towards the project.
“I have all these tools and knowledge. If I've been blessed with that, may as well use it for good, you know?” Garns said.
BYU students aren’t the only ones that want a piece of the holiday service cheer. The Utah Valley Homebuilders Association (UVHBA) oversees the annual Subcontractors for Santa program through the Community Service Committee and organizes groups of general contractors, home builders, and other people willing to give their time to complete projects for homeowners in need.
Dr. James Smith, BYU civil and construction engineering professor, connects BYU students to this service through his membership in the Community Service Committee. He helps spread the word across Utah Valley to reach anyone that may want to submit applications for their friends and loved ones that would benefit from the service.
"We typically select two to four of the committee's 30 to 40 projects for BYU students to accomplish. We look for people that have safety or basic comfort needs that they cannot address on their own, and people who aren't just expecting a free handout," Smith said. "These simple projects tend to be amazing blessings for them."
Subcontractors for Santa groups, some including BYU students, have completed a wide variety of projects: lighting, heating, repairing holes in floors and drywall, windows, fences, roofing, rain gutters, even making homes more wheelchair accessible with ramps and retrofitting bathrooms for handicap access.
The students take initiative to complete the projects, Smith said.
“[Professors] try not to step on toes much,” Smith said. “I usually go to be like a Santa Claus kind of role, bring some pizza to the students or just go and talk with the homeowner.”
On the Saturday before Christmas, students took sanders and paint to chipped siding on a house in Springville, UT, repairing it to withstand harsh conditions of winter with a better seal against the elements and possible pests. The service component of their work magnifies the experiential learning benefit and provides a tender experience akin to that of the Grinch, Smith said.
“The heart grows three or four times that day,” Smith said. “That's the experience that they get to have when they see somebody who can’t do it for themselves, and they get to go out and do it, help them with their skills.”
The experience also introduced potential goals for students about how they want to conduct themselves in their future careers. Garns gained a new perspective of his work in industry.
“I think there's just a pressure to always be trying to make the most amount of money,” Garns said. “During a time where most people are kind of focused on getting their things done, kind of focused on yourself, it's really not that much time and effort just to go give a day, half a day, to go help someone.”
Kyalea Toutai, a senior in construction management, looks to the example of her grandfather. Growing up around him and his work with concrete, she hopes to also enter the industry, working on construction sites and further developing hands-on skills as she graduates in April and begins a summer internship.
Toutai’s grandfather once benefited from the same kind of service that she participated in with Subcontractors for Santa. He would be happy about what she did, she said.
“My grandparents immigrated from Tonga, so they kind of pretty much came with nothing. Someone in their ward took them all out to go to a water park, and they just came and redid their whole house while they were gone,” Toutai said. “I had time to give, so why not give it?”
Many homeowners have been similarly touched by the student service. When students take care of multiple projects in the homes, more than the homeowners expect, the families overflow with humility and gratitude, trying to give back to the students, Smith said.
This service motivates students to go forward with their eyes open to those who may not have the capacity to improve their situations or simply need to feel they belong. Toutai wants to fill her future with good things, staying aware of new opportunities and those who need help.
“Obviously, we, in the process, are blessed by giving, but also people are blessed by receiving. I think it's a good reminder to me to, like I said before, if you have time to give, but also, if someone is trying to give to you, receive it. Be humble enough to receive,” Toutai said.
