Teams participating in the annual Bowl for Kids' Sake event have all sorts of fun.

The time has come to dust off the ol’ bowling bag, polish up the ball and tie those laces tight.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee has announced the date for the Murfreesboro event of its 2011 season of Bowl for Kids’ Sake, its longest-running and largest fund-raising campaign.

According to a news release, the highlighted event is scheduled to be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17 at Lanes, Trains and Automobiles in Murfreesboro, adding to the series of bowl-a-thon events that will feature teams from all across Middle Tennessee.

The Bowl for Kids’ Sake event has been held annually for the past 30 years throughout Middle Tennessee. Last year’s edition raised more than $150,000 for the children of Big Brothers Big Sisters, providing a one-to-one mentor for more than 150 children in need.

“It costs about $1,000 annual per child to serve them,” said Lis Couser, a spokeswoman for Big Brothers Big Sisters Middle Tennessee. “When you think about the number of children we’re serving in Rutherford County, that’s quite a bit (of money).”

In 2010, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee served approximately 2,812 children with a positive adult role model in their lives, 397 of whom were in Rutherford County, the release continues.

The organization has even greater plans for 2011 with the expansion of its Rutherford County office and the appointment of Carlos Clark as director, but also an overall financial goal for Bowl for Kids’ Sake of $160,000 to serve children waiting for a mentor in Middle Tennessee right now.

Participants in the event raise pledges from family and friends, 100 percent of which go to fund mentoring programs on behalf of children in Middle Tennessee.

Funds raised by Bowl for Kids’ Sake are used to recruit new volunteers to serve children, paying to conduct background checks on volunteers to ensure child safety while providing ongoing support for children, families and volunteers to build and sustain long-lasting relationships. Children served with a mentor are proven to do better in school, avoid drugs and violence and increase in their self-confidence.

One of the innovative ways that Big Brothers Big Sisters reaches the levels of Bowl for Kids’ Sake’s fund-raising success it has benchmarked each year is through Cornerstone partnerships of participating businesses and professional associations, according to the news release.

Teams are formed from departmental groups within a company or affiliated businesses of a certain industry or professional designation, and everyone comes out for a joint night of positive, friendly entertainment that is also supporting children in Middle Tennessee.

To sign up a team for the Murfreesboro event, contact Clark at 615-890-8868 extension 12 or carlos.clark@mentorakid.org or visit tnbowling.org.

To learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters, visit mentorakid.org or call 615-329-9191.