The Crosstown Shootout is about competition. The Crosstown Helpout is about cooperation.

        Friends, students and alumni of Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati will team up April 10 to help 25 local schools in need of clean-up and general repairs.

        “We blend both Xavier and UC people on those teams,” says Michelle Reese of UC's Young Alumni Association. She co-chairs the event with Xavier alumnus Richard La Jeunesse.

        Workers will wax floors, weatherproof, pick up trash or “whatever kind of need (schools) have. Last year, we had people paint a mural, build shelves, and some guys got involved in a basketball tournament,” Ms. Reese says.

        The 1998 Helpout, the first such event, drew 300 volunteers. Organizers are hoping for 500 this year.

        Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Xavier Armory, next to Schmidt Memorial Fieldhouse on Winding Way. Crews will work from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., then return to the armory for a party. Information: 556-4344 or 745-3337.

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