Tonight, students with performing talents and the desire to help the needy will have an outlet to do so.

NIU’s Peer Mentoring Program is sponsoring an open-mic night from 9 to 11 p.m. in the Holmes Student Center’s Carl Sandburg Auditorium.

The show will allow students to showcase their talents in front of others, or just come in and be entertained, open-mic host Samuel Simmons said.

Simmons, a sophomore communication major, also known as “Sam-I-Am,” expects tonight’s show to be a great one.

Admission to the show is $1, plus a canned good, with proceeds benefiting both the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and residents of the DeKalb area for Thanksgiving.

Two weeks ago, at the last open-mic, the auditorium was three-quarters full, and this time it should be a packed house, Simmons said.

There are no guidelines for performing, Simmons said, and anyone is welcome. Students can rap, sing, recite poems or even dance, Simmons said, and the performances aren’t geared at any one demographic.

“It’s all about showing hidden talents,” Simmons said. “We’re giving people exposure that they might not have had before.”

The only requirement is that performances are tasteful, Simmons said. Performers need not sign up in advance, but they should come in at 8 p.m. to go over their routine, he added.

Besides student acts, the audience also will be entertained by Simmons’ break dancing group Sub-Element and the female dance group Rhythm Nation.

Simmons also will perform four songs off his new album “Refreshing,” which will be released in January.

He also thanked Carla Carr, programming coordinator for the peer-mentoring program, for helping with tonight’s show.

“If it wasn’t for Carla, it wouldn’t be possible,” Simmons said. “I’m very thankful for the opportunity she’s giving me.”

He hopes people come out and support the students performing for the community.

“On the week of Thanksgiving, NIU students should come out and support this positive event,” Simmons said. “Support is colorblind.”