Austin area parks, ponds and highways will get a good spring cleaning this year with the help of about 100 people for Cornerstone Assembly of God's second annual Earthbeat work-a-thon.

The event takes place on May 10. The work will be sponsored by area residents and businesses, who are making per-hour donations to the cause. All profits will go to the church's youth group.

Associate/Youth Pastor Cory Goetz said a fund-raiser of this kind has many benefits over the typical magazine or candy bar sales.

"It's just a way better way to do a fund-raiser because it gives back to the community," he said.

Goetz said the project promotes both community consciousness and ecological consciousness for the participants. Also, it takes care of much-needed projects in the city that might not get done otherwise.

They will be working with Spruce up Austin to decide which sites need work and how many people to send to a particular site. Goetz said the East Side Lake and Mill Pond will probably get cleaned up as well as some local parks, the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center and some stretches of highway.

"It kind of just lets people know our church is there, we're doing stuff and trying to be a part of the community," he said.

Last year, they raised $4,500 for the middle-school and high-school programs of Cornerstone Assembly of God. Youths that collect pledges will get a cash prize depending on the donation level they achieve.

Participants will be putting in a full eight hours of work, which translates to about 800 hours of free work for the city of Austin.

"It serves a couple purposes," Goetz said. "To give back while trying to raise the necessary funding."

Matt Merritt can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :mailto:matt.merritt@austindailyherald.com