Students in the SMILES (Southcoast Mentoring Initiative for Learning, Education and Service) mentoring program at the Fonseca School in Fall River got some help from their mentors to make Halloween cards. About ten students meet their mentors every Tuesday after school to work on homework and engage in fun activities. Other programs operates in eleven elementary and middle schools throughout Fall River and seventeen schools in New Bedford, providing mentoring relationships with over 600 children in the two cities. SMILES was pioneered by Executive Director Jim Mathes, former director of the New Bedford Chamber of Commerce, who was recently honored with the Whitney M. Young Jr. Service Award by the Massasoit District Boy Scout Council. The program also includes a new literacy mentoring program for first-grade students. For more information about the program or to volunteer to serve as a mentor, call (508) 999-9300 or e-mail Nicole Almeida at nalmeida@smilesmentoring.org.

(Top row) Fourth-grader Frankie Defreitas, whose mentor David Weed is not pictured, works on his homework with the help of site coordinator Colleen Millet and mentor Karen Fischer. (Middle row, left and right) Mentor Lisa Stratton talks with her mentee Sarah Sylvia as they work on making a Halloween greeting card. (Middle row, center) Angelique Cordero smiles with her mentor Sharon Orellano. (Bottom row, center) Twin sister Ashley Cordero works with her mentor Catarina Bauer.