Crosstown Helpout Takes Place This Saturday

If you could take the passion generated by the Crosstown Shootout basketball rivalry between UC and Xavier and channel it in a productive direction, you would have quite a force for change.

Harnessing that energy is exactly the goal of the Crosstown Helpout, a massive one-day infusion of energy that hopes to send 1,000 volunteers representing both UC and Xavier to the assistance of more than 40 agencies across Greater Cincinnati on Saturday, Jan. 29.

Sign-ups are underway now for volunteers, who are expected to set a record for participation in an event that has grown steadily in scope and impact over its eight-year history.

To register to participate, visit the event’s Web site at www.crosstownhelpout.com. Volunteers will not only have the satisfaction of helping the community, they also could benefit from a prize patrol that will visit all the sites. Among the many prizes are valued items such as tickets to the 2005-2006 Crosstown Shootout game.

Volunteers will meet on Jan. 29 from 8-8:30 a.m. at Xavier’s Cintas Center before heading out to the local schools and agencies where they will work from about 9:30 a.m.- 2 p.m. They will aid schools and agencies in the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area by painting walls, waxing floors, cleaning windows, picking up trash, sorting clothes and building bookshelves.

The Crosstown Helpout first began in 1998 when 200 volunteers went out to help about a dozen schools. Since then, the program has grown to involve 1,000 volunteers working at 40 schools and agencies. Volunteers of the Crosstown Helpout are not only student, faculty, and alumni of the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University, but also family and friends of the institutions. They range in ages from children to about 70 years old.

"The Crosstown Helpout is a wonderful event that carries the spirit of the Crosstown Shootout into the community, providing needed assistance to many area schools and agencies," says UC men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins. "It's a great opportunity for Bearcat and Musketeer fans to come together for a worthwhile cause."

"The Crosstown Helpout is a wonderful initiative that provides a joint opportunity for both the Xavier and UC faithful to become responsive and helpful community citizens," says Xavier men’s basketball coach Sean Miller.

Some of the locations volunteers will visit include:

• Burton Elementary School, 876 Glenwood Ave. Volunteers are scheduled to paint, work on the grounds and build a sandbox.
• Hughes Center High School, 2515 Clifton Ave. Volunteers are scheduled to build a boy’s locker room.
• Newport Independent Schools, 301 E. 8th Street, Newport. Volunteers are scheduled to paint two elementary school gyms.

This year’s event is sponsored by the University of Cincinnati Alumni Association, the Xavier University National Alumni Association, The Home Depot, Glidden Paint, La Rosa's, Coca Cola, Home City Ice, Chiquita, Krispy Kreme and Skyline Chili.

For more information please call Mary Ann Schomaker at Xavier University at 513-745-3081, Phillip Lanham at the University of Cincinnati at 513-556-4344 or log on to www.crosstownhelpout.com.