Faculty, staff and students will "Bowl For Kids' Sake" Saturday to raise money for local kids waiting to be matched with mentors.
Big Brothers Big Sisters, as part of University Day, will raise money to maintain services for young people this year, said Mark Pelfrey, executive director. Money raised at Saturday's bowling game will pay for the program, which matches children with responsible adults.
Big Brothers Big Sisters University Day begins with two-hour bowling matches at 1 p.m. at Sooner Bowling Center.
With 100 participants expected, each team is required to raise a minimum of $250. Any individual team member that raises $100 will receive a free T-Shirt with the corporate sponsor's name on the back.
This years 15th annual "Bowl For Kids' Sake" goal is $100,000, Pelfrey said. The goal fluctuates from year to year depending on other resources and what Big Brothers Big Sisters need.
Pelfrey said this year Big Brothers Big Sisters will meet 50 percent of its goals.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a non-profit organization that serves 40 kids, mostly boys, waiting to be matched with a volunteer, Pelfrey said.
Many bowlers are mentors, and 60 OU affiliates are volunteers.
Todd Ballje, OU graduate, said he mentored to give one teen-age boy the encouragement, support and hope that he did not have.
It takes about $400 to match a child with a volunteer, Pelfrey said. That includes salary, psychiatric exams, interviews, orientations and the documents needed to build a file for a match.
"It takes 14 hours case manager-time and nine hours kid-time to make a match," Pelfrey said.
Pelfrey said Big Brothers Big Sisters will acknowledge the organizations that donated funds and release an estimated gross of the amount raised after the event.
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