It had all the markings of a football game. Hundreds of students were gathered on a Saturday morning, chanting "We are ... Penn State." But they didn't wake up to see Joe Paterno -- they woke up to help the community and meet new people.

More than 800 students took part in the fourth annual Fresh Start program this weekend. Fresh Start, which is organized through the AT&T Center for Service Leadership, is designed to give new Penn State students a chance to interact with one another and to help out at various service sites throughout Centre County.

More than 650 freshmen and transfer students, as well as 180 team leaders, gave up their Saturday to volunteer at more than 60 sites and organizations throughout the area, including Centre Community Hospital, Discovery Daycare and Mount Nittany.

Event Chairman Mike Still (senior-philosophy and political science) said this year's program was very successful, and they had to end sign-ups early due to the large response.

Students met at the White Building, where dozens of small groups of students filled the floor. Some of the larger groups spread out on the HUB-Robeson Center lawn. Students were given free T-shirts and divided into groups, where they met with team leaders and played games to break the ice.

The Nittany Lion was there, getting everyone excited about the day ahead of them.

He roamed the halls giving "thumbs up" and patting the backs of anyone who crossed his path.

"Don't ever lose that spirit of giving," Joe Battista, the men's ice hockey coach, told the students just before they headed out to their sites.

One of the largest groups in the program volunteered at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Volunteers picked up litter and helped clean area roads. PennDOT volunteers were given a bright orange vest to wear while they were working.

When the students returned from their sites, they were treated to free pizza and a chance to check out an involvement fair. The fair offered more opportunities for students to volunteer.

Team leader Matthew McGuiness (senior-premedicine) has been involved in the program since he was a freshman.

"It seemed like a cool thing to do to meet new people," he said.

Ben Rothbart (freshman-division of undergraduate studies), who volunteered at Mount Nittany, said he became interested in Fresh Start to find out about other clubs to get involved in.

He also said he was interested in meeting other people, but one encounter stood out in his mind.

"I got to get up close and personal with the lion," he said.