Mayor Robert Correia and the B.O.L.D. (Building Our Lives Drug-free) Coalition presented “Good Neighbor” awards to sixteen store owners and staff for not selling tobacco to underage youth, not selling drug paraphernalia and keeping their property clean and free of litter on August 26, 2008. Mayor Robert Correia also presented them a Mayoral citation recognizing their contributions. Four of those store owners were unable to attend the ceremony at Government Center and were contacted a week later to present them their awards. They are among sixteen of Fall River’s 160 convenient stores that have not received a ticket for selling tobacco to underage youth during the past three years. The store owners, managers and staff were commended for consistently “carding” purchasers of tobacco to make sure they are not under 18 years of age. Click here to see photos of the award ceremony. Click here to read the Herald News article about the event. For further information, contact BOLD Program Director Karen Fischer at 508-324-3537.

(Top row) Leila Adorni of Option Convenience Store on Pleasant Street proudly displays her awards with Jim Bartley of the Lower Highlands Historic Downtown Neighborhood Association and a member the Paraphernalia Prevention sub-committee of BOLD. (Middle and Bottom row, left) Tony Heneine of the T & J Gas Station displays his award and places a BOLD sticker in his window. (Middle row, center and right) Sadruddin and Habib Pirwani of Village Pizza on Stafford Road display their awards and BOLD sticker. (Bottom row, center and right) Mary and John Catano of Duke's Variety on Columbia Street display their awards and sticker.