Penn State And Ohio State Students
Team-Up For Community Service Activities
September 19, 2000
University Park, Pa. – There will be no rivalry when students and staff from Penn State and Ohio State team-up for a collaborative community service project before the Penn State - Ohio State football game on Sept. 23. This is the second annual collaboration with the Big 10 University.

The project, "Competing on the Field, Collaborating in the Community," celebrates National Youth Service Day, and will kickoff at 7 a.m. at Larkins Hall on the Ohio State campus.

According to Carol German, director of the AT&T Center for Service Leadership, the project's goal is to show students when to set aside healthy competition, as seen on the playing field, and join together to benefit the host community. "We are encouraging first and second year students to participate," German said. "These students will learn a valuable lesson about appropriate outlets for competition and about being good citizens through community service."

A bus with 50 Penn State students will leave from the HUB-Robeson Center on Friday, Sept. 22 at 11:30 a.m., to make the trip to Columbus, Ohio. That evening, students will tour Ohio State's campus and attend a performance by The Second City comedy troupe.

Saturday morning, students from both Universities will gather for a 7 a.m. kickoff breakfast at Larkins Hall. Attendees will include William Asbury, vice president of student affairs for Penn State; David Hall, interim vice president of student affairs for Ohio State; Andy Geiger, Ohio State athletic director, Budd Thalman, Penn State athletic information director; the Nittany Lion and the Brutus Buckeye mascots; and cheerleaders from both universities.

After the kickoff, students and staff from both universities will take part in service events in Columbus, including projects at the Lutheran Village of Columbus Nursing facility, The Heinzerling Foundation Home for Severely Mentally Retarded Children, and the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

• Students will visit residents, hold pep rallies, play music and have trivia contests at the following locations:

– Willow Brook Christian Home, 55 Lazelle Road.

– Isabelle Ridgway Nursing Home, Center 1586 Clifton Avenue.

– Lutheran Village of Columbus, 935 N. Cassady Avenue.

• At the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, 300 W. 10th Avenue, students will visits patients, ask them trivia questions and give out stickers.
• Students will hand out flyers for an upcoming event for Project Open Hand, 82 East 16^th Avenue.
• At The Heinzerling Foundation Home for Severely Mentally Retarded Children, 1800 Heinzerling Drive, students will clean centerpieces for an upcoming benefit and visit with the children.

The students will return to Ohio State's French Field House around 10:45 a.m. for a joint alcohol-free tailgate before splitting into partisan contingents to attend the game. The Penn State AT&T Center for Service Leadership, The Ohio State Office of Student Activities, and The Penn State Bookstore are sponsors of the event.

Contact:
Amy Neil, Department of Public Information, at (814) 865-7517 or email