College is the beginning of a brand new adventure for hundreds of incoming Messiah students. In the midst of orientations, placement exams, and settling into dorm rooms, the second day of orientation week is set aside to expose first-year students to life beyond the Messiah College campus. Before the first textbook is opened or the first lecture heard, students have the opportunity to build relationships with their peers while learning about the surrounding community and serving those in need.

Into the Streets is a nationally recognized program. This year, the Agapé Center celebrated its 10th anniversary sponsoring this first-year student event. While students spend time building relationships with their peers, the purpose of this day is to inspire students to continue investing their time and talents into their community. As students serve others in need, they also learn a great deal from those in the community. The hope for this day is that this experience is reciprocal; students are served as they are serving and it sparks a desire to make service a priority during their college career and beyond.

In Fall 2008, 528 first-year students participated in, “Into the Streets” by serving 37 community partner organizations, including:

• Bethesda Mission
• Capital Area Pregnancy Center
• Dillsburg Area Public Library
• Helen O. Krause Animal Foundation
• Project S.H.A.R.E.
• Volunteers of America (Mechanicsburg and Paxton)
• YWCA Carlisle