On Saturday, September 7, nearly 1,000 Penn freshmen went "Into the Streets" for a hands-on introduction to Philadlephia and its neighborhoods. The annual community-service day, coordinated by the Program for Student-Community Involvement, also exposes new students to the wide range of community-service opportunities offered by local organizations. "Into the Streets" participants worked at 50 sites throughout the city, including parks, homes for the elderly, social-service agencies, schools, day-care centers and neighborhood associations. The projects ranged from social activities, such as an ice-cream social for residents of the Bala Nursing and Retirement Home, to hard-hat work rebuilding houses with Habitat for Humanity on Stiles Street in West Philadelphia. After the day-long projects, the students returned to the Quadrangle for a picnic and speeches from Mayor Ed Rendell , City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell and other dignitaries.

Return to Compass Features for September 17, 1996