ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell University's Dump and Run program will donate the proceeds of its August 2004 yard sale -- a total of $9,000 -- to three local nonprofit groups during a ceremony Thursday, Nov. 18, at 5:30 p.m. in the Willard Straight Hall International Room. The donations will go to Loaves and Fishes, The Advocacy Center, and Cops, Kids and Toys. Doors open at 5 p.m. and refreshments will be available. The ceremony is open to the public.

The awards will be presented by Cornell senior Lauren Jacobs, who founded the university's Dump and Run program in 2003, and LeNorman Strong, assistant vice president of student and academic services. Dump and Run, a national nonprofit organization that has generated more than $100,000 through its programs at 20 colleges and universities, is sponsored by the Office of Cornell Campus Life.

The Cornell Dump and Run donations have been designated as follows: Loaves and Fishes, a local organization that feeds hundreds of people per week, will receive $3,600. Cops, Kids and Toys, a group of Tompkins County law enforcement agencies that provides area children with toys for the holidays, will receive $2,700. The Advocacy Center, an organization that provides counseling and support for children, teen and adult survivors of sexual abuse, will receive $1,800. The remainder will go toward the creation of Dump and Run programs at other institutions.

Dump and Run volunteers collect discarded items at the end of each spring semester and re-sell those items at a yard sale the following fall. In 2004, Cornell's Dump and Run collected items from every residence hall on campus. The two Dump and Run events held at Cornell since 2003 have raised a total of $18,000 for local charities and have helped to recycle more than 40,000 pounds of usable items that were otherwise headed to a landfill.

To find out more about Dump and Run or the donation ceremony, contact Lauren Jacobs at <lj29@cornell.edu > or 592-3713.