PORT ALLEGANY — Two Port Allegany High School students are channeling their experience at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program into organizing a Fun Day for local youth to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Mauley Fox and Katie Ernst, who will both be high school seniors this fall, are organizing activities for the Fun Day, set for Aug. 19 at the high school and supported by the Port Allegany Rotary.

Fun Day will have two sessions for children — the morning session, starting at 9 a.m. and finishing at noon, is for kindergarteners through fourth-graders; the second session for fifth- to ninth-graders will be 1 to 4 p.m. Games that are planned include, but are not limited to, hopscotch, football (even if just catch), volleyball, soccer and tag.

Speaking before the local Rotary on July 20, Fox and Ernst asked for volunteers to help play with the children, while they also indicated they will ask local businesses and churches to help with the games as well.

“We are making sure that we have enough adults and upperclassmen to help,” Fox said.

They also asked for outdoor toy donations so that they could hold a raffle of these toys, so some children can go home with toys to continue their outdoor playing. Proceeds will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The admission will be $5 per child, Ernst said “there will be scholarships available for families with multiple children and for families who cannot afford to have their child come. Above (fundraising), we want the children to be able to come.”

Fox and Ernst said while they attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards at Westminster College, they were given a task with a group of other attendees from surrounding areas to come up with a project to benefit a nonprofit organization. Since everyone in the group loved working with children, they decided to do something to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters.