This Saturday, Sept. 29, more than 500 Cornell University students will be volunteering in the greater Ithaca area for the 10th annual Into the Streets day of public service.

The purpose of Into the Streets, a program of the Cornell Public Service Center, is to introduce students to the experience and values of community service and encourage them to volunteer on a regular basis. The Public Service Center's goal is to promote service-learning, in which students not only make a difference to their communities, but also learn and gain useful experience themselves from their efforts. Serving the community is a valuable learning experience that complements the students' academic work.

The day will begin for student Into the Streets participants on campus with breakfast and a motivational speech in Uris Hall auditorium. At noon, volunteers will be taken to their work sites. Some 23 agencies will be served this year, including the Ithaca Fire Department, Patchwork Therapeutic Riding Center Inc., the Finger Lakes Land Trust, the Greater Ithaca Activities Center, the American Red Cross and the Ithaca Youth Bureau. For four hours, students will work on special projects for these and other organizations before returning to campus to discuss the lessons of the day and to evaluate the program.

For more information on Into the Streets and the day of community service, contact student organizers Sarah Jensen (607) 272-4396, Farah Meghji (607) 253-8359 or Rachel Ruggirello (607) 266-9091; or call the Cornell Public Service Center at (607) 255-3836.