Riverside, Calif., March, 2000--"Free Parking," "Do Not Pass Go" and "Community Chest" - all in life size!

The La Sierra University Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) team will debut its "Life Size Game" on Sunday, March 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the La Sierra University Alumni Pavilion, 4700 Pierce Street, Riverside.

The Monopoly-style game is literally as big as life and is being created by the SIFE students to teach people the concepts of savings and investments, and how to achieve financial independence. The game board pieces won't be the familiar top hat, battleship or thimble. Instead, participants will walk the "large as life" game board - a colorfully painted burlap sheet, with 88 yards of walking strips.

SIFE students devised the game, painted the burlap game board and designed the game's 40-page curriculum.

The familiar Boardwalk and Mediterranean Avenue of yesteryear Atlantic City have been replaced with "Stocks and Bonds," "Estate Planning" and "What To Do About Credit."

Playing in teams of four or five, participants will roll oversize dice and move from square to square, taking in mini-educational modules at each stop. Topics include such things as buying stocks and bonds, planning for retirement and even visiting the Internal Review Service (the "Go Directly to Jail" equivalent?). Prizes will be awarded in various categories for those who best apply economic principles.

Leslie Lardizibal, a freshman marketing major from Duarte, Calif., and other La Sierra SIFE students developed the game as a fun way to teach the importance of financial independence. It costs just $1 to play the game and students with a college ID can play for free. Families are also invited to play as a team.

"We hope that people will not only enjoy playing the game, but will take the information home and start applying it to personal situations," said Lardizibal. A "passbook" is issued at the start of the game and used throughout the playing time; participants are encouraged to take the booklet home as a reference.

Active on more than 700 college campuses in 48 states and 15 countries, SIFE is a national non-profit organization that works in partnership with business and higher education to help college students take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it in real-life situations. A particular SIFE emphasis is community-service projects. The La Sierra University SIFE team was started in the fall of 1991 and won the International SIFE Championships in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 for its innovative educational and service projects. For more information, contact La Sierra University SIFE at (909)785-2255, or visit the organization's website at http://www.lasierra.edu/sifenet.

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