Members of Teens Against Drug Abuse, a committee BOLD (Building Our Lives Drug-free) Coalition, began installing signs at Maplewood Park, one of five city parks with Little League fields on July 13, 2006, as part of a $10,000 grant that the group as part of a statewide "Get the Word Out" mini-grant funded through the state Department of Public Health and managed by the Medical Foundation in Boston as part of the Youth Action Initiative. The initiative is designed to educate and empower young people ages 12 to 18 to counteract tobacco marketing, change social norms around tobacco use and reduce the use of tobacco by youth.  Five other projects received $10,000 grants, including two in Boston and one each in Worcester, Malden and Framingham. The smoking rate in Fall River, 30.5 percent compared to a statewide average of 19.1 percent, is substantially higher than the statewide average. More than 90 percent of adults who smoke started smoking as teen-agers and the initiative to discourage smoking at city ball parks is designed to reduce that rate.
 

(Top row, left) Jonathan Rogala holds one of the signs that were designed by Teens Against Drug Abuse for installation in the parks. They read: "Keep Our Youth Safe, Please Refrain from Smoking; Second-hand Smoke Affects Everybody." (Top row, center) Meredith Taylor and Sasha Levitskaya receive hardware, signs and tools from Mike Aguiar, Youth Director at Stanley Street Treatment and Resources, while Fall River Herald News photographer Omar Bradley gets a shot. (Top row, right) Meredith holds the sign while Sasha tightens the bolt. (Middle row, left) Sasha and Meredith place another sign with Mike. (Middle row, center) Jared Luciano carries a ladder to another location at Maplewood Park. (Middle row, right) Sasha and Meredith are interviewed by Mr. Bradley. (Bottom row, left) Prevention Specialist Nic Charest directs Jared as he places another sign. (Bottom row, right) As Jared tightens the nut, Darwin Frometa holds a wrench.