Rishi Moudgil's idea started off simple seven months ago: to launch a pen pal program between fellow U-M dorm students and K-5 elementary children from area Washtenaw County schools.

A twice-a-month writing back and forth.

A little getting to know each other.

A nice simple community outreach program.

But early on, simple was taken out of the equation and on Friday Moudgil's vision exploded inside Oosterbaan Fieldhouse as 850 children and their 850 pen pals converged for a sho-and-tell on college life, most seeing each other for the first time.

Students, pen pals, teachers, and parents wove their way through tables set up by 80 student organizations, each cleverly designed to make their program eye-catching.

They banged on drums manned by members of the U-M Marching Band.

Premed students used makeup to create fake bruises and bloody wounds, complete with white cloth bandages. The pro-literacy group made bookmarks of bright colored pipe cleaners and colorful fuzzy balls. Nursing students let the children create real casts for their fingers. And Lambda Phi Epsilon, a fraternity that supports Asian interests, gave away live goldfish, 300 in the first two hours alone.

"It is 40 times better that I ever thought," a tired, but pleased Moudgil said. "The kids are happy. That's what's important. The old and the young kids."

At the K-grams First Annual Kids-Fair, dozens of U-M student volunteers moved with determined haste around thevast field house, many armed with walkie-talkies to five or receive direction. They slid in and out of seats behind tables covered with balloons, sparkles, clay, basketballs, puppets, and crowns while the rhythms of the rock band Sugar Pill balsted from the stage.

Pen Pals: Project a learning experience for young, old

Periodically, the band would break out with "Hail to the Victors" and, as if on cue, most every U-M volunteer began clapping and punching the air with a raised right fist.

DeAndre Wilson, 10, a fifth-grader at Holmes Elementary School in Ypsilanti, offered a grin through a face of sparkles, his arms dotted with newly-stamped tattoos.

"She's pretty cute," he said, grinning up at Courtney Long, his freshman pen pal. "She is carrying all my stuff."

Long smiled back.

"It was the second letter before I found out he wasn't a girl," she said with a smile. "I've learned about his family, school, the things he likes to do. I think this is a great idea. It's a great way to bridge a gap, and it gives the kids something to look forward to."

"And," she said, "I met a new friend."

Teachers had only praise for the program, targeted this year at Pattengill, Pittsfield, Carpenter, Mitchell, Bryant, Northside, and Holmes elementary schools.

Sarah Lynch teaches third, fourth, and fifth graders at Pittsfield Elementary School. "This is just great," she said, surveying the action. "I find kids of this age are really interested in college students and teh college students can really act as role models. They've really done a super job. This is so well organized and running so smoothly. And it's all age appropriate. So many times things like this aren't."

John Freeman, a third-grade teacher at Pittsfield, agreed.

"I think it's a great way for them to see what the future can hold and it gives the kids a reason to study, to stay in school, to get excited about college.

"It's good, too, for teh U-M students and helps them keep a foot in the real world. Sometimes you have a tendency to forget where you came from."

Freeman also thinks the students got an educational benefit from it. "It helped the kids with their writing. They had to write and edit their own work. A lot of thought went into this."

Moudgil, a 20-year old junior and business major agreed.

"I really thought that if we made it easy to participate, that people wouldbe enthusiastic about getting involved - and it worked. We have a lot of dedicated volunteers."

"This (Kids-Fair) was never a part of the original plan. But the kdis wanted to meet us. It grew from there. We wanted to do more."

He praised fellow business majors and their organizational skills. "A lot of business students were involved in this and people sometimes don't see them (as being this creative). But a lot of the skills we used are the skills we'll need. I had great volunteers."