Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pike County will host the sixth annual Tee It Up for Kids’ Sake golf tournament at noon on Monday, Oct. 19, at Troy Country Club.

“Tee It Up for Kids is a four-man scramble and it’s a lot of fun for the golfers and means the world to the kids,” said Melinda Conner, Big Brothers Big Sisters activities coordinator. “This is our major fund raiser so we depend on it for so many of the programs that we offer our Littles.”

Conner said a scramble is a lot of fun for the golfers because they play as a team.

“Each member of the team will hit a tee shot and the team will selected which of the shots to play. All members of the team hit from that spot and the procedure is repeated until the ball is holed.”

Registration fee for the Tee It Up for Kids’ Sake golf tournament is $100 per person for ages 65 and under and $75 for those over 65. Golfers may pre-register by calling the Big Brothers Big Sisters office at 566-2454 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. On site registration begins at noon Oct. 19 with tee time at 1 p.m.

Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place teams and for the closest to the pin on all par three holes, for a hole-in-one and the longest drive.

“We’ll also have a putting contest at noon and there is no additional fee to enter,” Conner said. “Hors d’oeuvres will be served at the conclusion of the tournament around 5 p.m.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pike County currently has 75 matches and most Bigs are Troy University students. However, more than 150 kids are waiting and hoping for a match, Conner said.

“At the beginning of each year, we have a lot of kids who want to be matched with a Big,” she said. “Right now, we have 160 kids waiting so we really need people to step forward and become a match.”

The requirements for Bigs are tailored to the individuals.

“The community based program requires two contact hours a week,” Conner said. “But one week you might take your Little to a football game and maybe just get together for a few minutes the next week. The hours are flexible. The school based program only requires one hour a week so it’s up to the Bigs as to which program is best for them.

“And what we like to say is that it’s not the amount of money that a Big spends, it’s the quality of time. Taking a Little along when running errands or to the library can be a really big and important thing for them.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a United Way agency and the funds the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pike County receives from United Way and the Tee It Up for Kids’ Sake are very important to its continued operation.

“We have many kids waiting right now,” Conner said. “And, we don’t want them to think that we’ve forgotten about them. We have activities they can participate in, too. So, we are serving a lot of kids in Pike County and we appreciate the support of the community. It is vital to what we do for these kids.”