The SMILES (Southcoast Mentoring Initiative for Learning, Education and Service) Program of Fall River and New Bedford held its second fundraiser with a 3.5 mile walk/run around the Tripp Athletic Center at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth campus on Mar 13, 2010. Hundreds of Individuals and teams collected pledges for the event and organizers announced a gross total of $60,000 in pledges at the end of the event. SMILES, established in 2003, works by matching volunteer mentors to students in the New Bedford and Fall River public schools. Mentors meet with their young friends for an hour a week at the students’ school. The goal is to increase the students’ chance of graduating high school and to deter them from drugs, alcohol, violence and gang involvement. SMILES currently has some 600 volunteer mentors working one-on-one with their mentees in 32 schools in the region. It has set a goal of attracting a total of 3,000 mentors by 2013. “I was amazed at the number of people who turned out on a very rainy day,” said Katje Fuson, director of Fall River operations for SMILES. Those interested in mentoring a child can contact Nicole Almeida, SMILES director of Resource Development and Retention, at 508-999-9300. Click here for photos of last year's event. Click here and here to see photos of SMILES mentors in action.

(Top row, left) Kuss Middle School program facilitator Amanda Mello and Kai Atunes of the New Bedford program greet people as they arrive at the Tripp Athletic Center. (Top row, center and right) Participants warm up, including Fall River Operations Director Katje Fuson and her sister, Autumn. (Middle row, left and center) Several hundred walkers are led for 63 laps around the gymnasium by Kevin Pelland and Donna Sinclair as they carry the Citizens-Union Savings Bank banner. (Middle row, right) Janel Doloiras, SMILES mentor and facilitator, runs the 3.5 mile course around the gym. (Bottom row, left) Walkers, including former Fall River Mayor Ed Lambert, complete the first dozen laps. (Bottom row, center) Citizens-Union Bank CEO and SMILES Board Chair Nicholas Christ presents Paul Burke with the Arbella Insurance Group community sponsor award award as SMILES Executive Director Jim Mathes looks on. (Bottom row, right) Gilian Amaral of BankFive and Tony Pires of Professional Business Solutions dance to the music provided by Joey DaSilva.