More than 600 people are expected to descend Saturday on West Dade, armed with paint, brushes and an attitude.

Tired of graffiti on fences, subdivision walls and buildings, the army of volunteers is responding to pleas from Metro Commissioner Miguel Diaz de la Portilla to help wipe out the suburban scourge. Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, crime watchers, schoolchildren, high school Key Club members and Florida International University sorority women say they will partake in what might be Dade's largest-ever organized graffiti paint-out.

"We want the kids to know this is their community, this is their home people are messing up," said Edmund Benson, head of Enviro-cops, a Dade public schools program that teaches kids about caring for the environment. Benson said he has drafted about 300 schoolchildren to join the massive effort.

Commission aides have been drafting help for months, contacting dozens of organizations. "We picked up the phone and started calling, and they jumped at the opportunity," Mary Del Pino said.

Several companies have joined the effort, lending money for paint, brushes and transportation to the paint-out sites: Among those companies: Blockbuster Entertainment, Florida Power & Light, Everglades Lumber, Manhattan Miami, McDonald's and O'Gee Paint.

More than a dozen areas will be targeted, including a long stretch along Southwest 132nd Avenue, between 18th and 62nd streets. Other large sites will be at Southwest 122nd Avenue and 10th Street and at Southwest 127th Avenue and Coral Way. "Residents should see a noticeable difference," Diaz de la Portilla said.

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