This year, the Veishea Community Outreach Committee plans to complete 1,999 hours of community service before Veishea ’99, and some of those hours will be covered this weekend at the Heartland Senior Center, 205 S. Walnut Ave.

The center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving seniors’ access to the community, as well as making their lives more comfortable, said Katherine Andre, volunteer director at the center.

Ian Kenning, Veishea Community Outreach Committee member and sophomore in biology, said this weekend will mark the beginning of the Veishea service project, with work going on at the Boone YMCA in addition to the work at the Senior Center.

“We want to create a positive image of Veishea in the community of Ames,” Kenning said. “One way to do that is to keep a running total of [our committee’s] community service hours in Ames and surrounding towns.”

Andre said the center is very glad to have the help of the committee.

“The tournament committee asked to help out,” Andre said. “They’re coming at 9 a.m. on Saturday with 10 people. They’re each putting in three hours of work.”

Andre said the students probably will help with some of the outdoor work that needs to be done at the center, including raking leaves, washing widows and cleaning the 17 buses the center owns.

“[The committee] put themselves at our disposal,” Andre said. “They know it won’t be easy, but we told them to bring their CDs. We’ll try to make it as much fun as possible.”

Andre said the center, which involves over 400 volunteers each year, always needs more help. She added that they also have opportunities for students to interact with the seniors at the day center through games and activities.

“We live by our volunteers,” Andre said. “Without them not much would happen around here.”

Andre also said she thought more people should be aware of the service work the Veishea committee is doing.

“All we’ve seen of Veishea so far is: is it or is it not?” Andre said. “I had no idea the committee did service on top of their work with the festival.”

Kenning said next month, committee members will be helping with the Story County Volunteers’ Santa Claus display at North Grand Mall, 2801 Grand Ave.

“We’ve got a lot more [work] to come in the second semester,” Kenning said. “We’re planning on doing two philanthropies a month, and then a large philanthropy at the end of March or early in April.”