Student volunteers prepare for a day of community service activities

Some Cornell students are preparing to go back into the streets -- and they will be welcomed with open arms. More than 500 students will be volunteering their efforts on various projects in the Ithaca area during the annual Into the Streets Day, Sept. 18.

Some 120 college campuses across the country participate in Into the Streets, which was created to introduce students to thoughtful community service and to provide a learning experience that challenges them to volunteer on a regular basis. And for the eighth year in a row at Cornell, the Public Service Center (PSC) and about 35 nonprofit community agencies are teaming up for the national program's local effort. Fifty student team leaders from Cornell will help direct the volunteers' work at the agencies.

The Cornell Into the Streets executive board this year is: Fatema Gunja '01, director; Carlyn Worstell '02, fall day coordinator; Rebecca Pornoy '00, recruitment and outreach; Mark Hanoka '00, publicity; Kim Mohr '02, team leader coordinator; Waylon Butler '02, community agency liaison; Nageeb Sumar '01, operations and finance; and Allison Kimenker '01, business liaison.

All the volunteers will be assigned to teams of five to 15 and will travel to sites where organizations like the Cayuga Nature Center, Recycle Ithaca's Bicycles, the Finger Lakes Land Trust, the Reconstruction Home and the Ithaca YMCA have requested their help. For four hours, students will work on special projects for the organizations before returning to campus to discuss the lessons of the day and to evaluate the program.

The day will begin with a rally in Uris Hall auditorium at 11 a.m. Breakfast and lunch will be provided for volunteers, as will arrangements for transportation to and from the work sites.

The PSC has been recruiting students from fraternities, sororities and other campus groups to get as many people as possible into the community. But volunteers are still needed. If you are interested in participating in the day of community service, e-mail your name, phone number, class year, school and whether you have access to a car to intothestreets@cornell.edu ; call 255-3836 or stop by the Public Service Center at 200 Barnes Hall.