Students can help make a difference in children’s lives and bowl for a cause Sunday.

Strikes for Tikes, a three-game bowling tournament, is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Chippewa Lanes, 1200 Mission St., for teams of three to benefit Special Days Camp.

The event is organized by students in RPL: 430 Recreation Programming.

Special Days Camp takes place near Jackson for children who have cancer and their families, said Alex Pardy, a Royal Oak senior and member of the student group organizing the fundraiser.

It takes place two weeks in the summer and then in a weekend in the winter for a

reunion.

“It’s a place to get away from their troubles at home,” Pardy said. “And for their siblings, it’s a chance for them to get the attention they don’t get at home.”

Jim Carey, executive director for Special Days Camp, said the camp gets children from all over, including Michigan, Ohio and Illinois.

The camp is self-supporting and depends on donations and volunteers. The camp has volunteers from various hospitals to have doctors on staff at all times, Carey said.

“(The fundraiser) is just a Godsend to us in this difficult time,” he said.

Cheboygan junior Maryjane Jarvis is one of five students who are organizing this fundraiser for the class.

Jarvis said their goal is to raise $500. Teams can pre-register for $25 or pay $30 at the door. Split insurance can even be purchased for $5, she said. If a split is bowled, the insurance will allow the pins to be re-racked.

The money will be used for scholarships for the children who cannot afford to attend the camp, Carey said. It cost $900 per child, and there are about 100 children each week at the camp. The first week is for the siblings and the second week is for the children with cancer.

“We do whatever we can to keep this going,” Carey said. “It will bring a tear to your eyes when you see these kids running and playing.”

Raffle tickets will also be sold at the event, Jarvis said. Participants can win gift certificates and other prizes and the winners of the tournament will get a grand prize and a trophy, Jarvis said.

To register a team, students can pick up applications in the Bovee University Center outside the Rotunda Room, at Chippewa Lanes or at Finch Fieldhouse Room 109. Students can then return the application and money in a marked envelope to Chippewa Lanes or Finch 109.

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E-mail the author: Sarah Schuch