MEDIA ADVISORY
Aug. 20, 2004

CONTACT:
Lisa Lacher, Director of Media Relations, Drake University
(515) 271-3119 or (515) 202-1773 (mobile)

Rob Ferguson, Chairman, Beautification Committee, Drake Neighborhood Association (515) 771-0386 (mobile)

NEW DRAKE STUDENTS TO PERFORM COMMUNITY SERVICE SATURDAY

Before they attend their first class on Monday, hundreds of first-year students at Drake University will perform community service projects throughout Des Moines.

The projects, which include Drake Park, NBA Ramsey Retirement Home, Drake’s Adult Literacy Center, P.A.C.E. Juvenile Intervention Program and a Neighborhood Beautification Program, will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 21. Before heading out on their service projects, the students will gather at the Knapp Center at 9:15 a.m. for an inspirational talk by Wanda Everage, vice provost for student affairs and academic excellence.

"This is the first time we've tried this and the initial response from the new students has been overwhelmingly positive," said Dolph Pulliam, director of community outreach and development at Drake. "It's a great way of acquainting new students with Des Moines as well as giving them an opportunity to contribute to the community during their first days at Drake."

Students will be participating in the following community service projects Saturday morning:

Drake Park
24th Street and Drake Park Avenue
Contact: Rob Ferguson, Chairman, Beautification Committee, Drake Neighborhood Association, (515) 771-0386
About 60-75 students will work with Drake Neighborhood Association volunteers to clean up Drake Park, 24th Street and Drake Park Avenue. Students will paint the shelter house, dig up weeds around the playground and flowerbeds, and pick up trash in the park.

NBA Ramsey Retirement Home
1611 27th Street
Contact: Jeff Porter, NBA Ramsey Retirement Home, (515) 274-3612
At least 30 students will pull weeds from a flower garden, prune bushes, spread mulch, clean windows, and take residents outdoors and read to them.

Drake University Adult Literacy Center
Olmsted Center, 29th Street and University Avenue
Contact: Ann Murr, (515) 271-3700
About 25-30 students will meet in conference rooms on the upper level of Olmsted Center, 29th Street and University Avenue, to hear several Literacy Center adult students share their life and learning experiences. The first-year students will discover the value of tutoring other students, learn why some smart people can’t read, and find out why one in five children and adults struggle with reading and spelling. They will also learn about new discoveries in neuroscience that shed light on the causes of reading problems such as dyslexia, and they’ll also participate in an activity in which they will "become" dyslexic.

P.A.C.E. Juvenile Intervention Program
Olmsted Center, 29th Street and University Avenue
Contact: John Spinks, P.A.C.E. Director/Counselor, (515) 202-1722 (cell)
More than 25 students will meet five to seven P.A.C.E. students in conference rooms on the upper level of Olmsted Center, 29th Street and University Avenue. The Drake students will learn about the P.A.C.E. program and how it works with troubled youths. The P.A.C.E. students will talk about their backgrounds, the troubles they have encountered and why they do not envision themselves graduating from high school or attending college. The Drake students will discuss these issues and learn about volunteer opportunities at the center.

Large Neighborhood Beautification Project
Knapp Center, 2601 Forest Avenue
Contact: Rob Ferguson, Chairman, Beautification Committee, Drake Neighborhood Association, (515) 771-0386
Nearly 500 students will pick up litter along the streets and alleys over a 94-square-block area bordered by Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway, 34th Street, Clark Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. Students will meet at the Knapp Center, 2601 Forest Avenue, before splitting into two different groups. The students will cover Clark Street, Forest Avenue, Carpenter Avenue, University Avenue, Cottage Grove Avenue and Brattleboro Avenue. Students will leave full trash bags on curbs of main streets. Drake building and ground crews will pick up the trash bags and dispose of them.