Balloons, music, candy and warmth lured more than 400 students out of the cold and into the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) open house yesterday afternoon.

The main draw, however, was the opportunity to volunteer for PBHA's more than 70 social service and social action programs serving Boston and Cambridge.

"It's really exciting that people came out in the cold, rain and snow with lots of energy and really were eager to get involved in PBHA programs," said Lisa A. Tomlinson '99, president of PBHA.

Tomlinson said the semi-annual open houses provide "a new burst of energy to serve communities [each semester]."

"This fair is our lifeblood," said Christine M. Hernandez '00, the events coordinator for PBHA.

"We're helping the programs do what they do best," she said. "This event is a major source of volunteers."

PBHA is both a student-run volunteer organization and the largest public service group at Harvard, involving more than 1700 student volunteers.

Programs represented at yesterday's fair included adult education classes, afterschool tutoring and the only student-run homeless shelter in the country.

According to Tomlinson, these programs allow undergraduates to "make a real difference in the lives of individuals and communities we serve."

A survey conducted by the Admissions Office showed that 19 percent of incoming first-years intend to get involved in community service, said Judith H. Kidd, assistant dean for public service.

Surprisingly, by the time students graduate, even more have taken advantage of this opportunity.

Upon leaving Harvard, "the senior exit surveys conducted in the Houses show that two-thirds of all students have participated in public service," said Kidd.

"PBHA programs in some way touch over 10,000 people in Boston and Cambridge," Tomlinson said.

Students flocked to the PBHA fair with a strong motivation to become involved in community service.

"I really admire the way PBHA puts forth such an effort to unite the campus in community service," George W. Hicks '00-'99 said.