Cornell University students, including members of fraternities and sororities, and Collegetown residents will clean up the streets of Collegetown on Saturday, April 24. Activities include cleaning neighborhood sidewalks, streets, utility poles and open spaces.

Volunteers will gather in shifts beginning at 10 a.m. in front of The Nines at 311 College Ave. From there, teams of students and year-round residents will begin their clean-up effort on the streets of Ithaca's Collegetown section. They also will remove posters that have been placed illegally on utility poles.

Leading the campaign to get students involved are David Chipurnoi, a vice president of the Interfraternity Council, and Heather Foulks, a vice president of the Panhellenic Council. According to Chipurnoi and Foulks, this is one of the largest community-service events organized by the fraternity and sorority system at Cornell.

"This event is part of national volunteer week," Chipurnoi and Foulks said. "Although members of the greek system on campus comprise the largest number of participants, students in Collegetown apartments also are encouraged to do their part in cleaning up the neighborhood in which they live."

Additional support is being provided by Collegetown businesses, the City of Ithaca's Department of Public Works, the Collegetown Neighborhood Council and two Cornell offices -- the Dean of Students and Community Relations.

Participation in this semi-annual event is open to all interested members of the community. A Collegetown cleanup also takes place each fall.