The SMILES (Southcoast Mentoring Initiative for Learning, Education and Service) Program of Fall River and New Bedford held its first fundraiser with a 3.6 mile walk/run/bike/skate-a-thon around the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth campus. Hundreds of Individuals and teams collected pledges for the event and organizers announced a total of $44,904 in pledges at 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. “We’re really pleased with the turnout,” said Katje Fuson, director of Fall River SMILES. Those interested in mentoring a child can contact Nicole Almeida, SMILES director of Resource Development and Retention, at 508-999-9300. Click here and here to see photos of SMILES mentors in action.

(Top row, left) Mark Randles and Amy Fuson sign in at the registration desk at the Tripp Athletic Center. (Top row, center) SMILES executive director Jim Mathes and board chairman Nicholas Christ, CEO of Citizens-Union Bank, stand at attention as, Ashley Bendiksen, Miss New Bedford 2009 and a SMILES mentor, sings the national anthem at the start of the kick-off ceremony. (Top row, right) Former Lincoln School Principal Barbara Terrio, who now serves as program facilitator for SMILES, stands before the crowd gathered before the event. (Middle row, left) Mentor Claire Correiro and SMILES board member Mike McDonald of Bank Five join the group warm-up exercises led by Westport mentor Sue Dias-Cordeiro. (Middle row, center) Nancy Fernandes of New Bedford and Donna Medeiros of Fall River lead the participants out to the ring road at the UMass-Dartmouth campus. (Middle row, right) Nicole Walker and Kelly Carreiras grab their bicycles for the 3.6 mile route. (Bottom row, left) SMILES staffer Colleen Millet waves as she heads out behind Barbara Terrio. (Bottom row, center) Volunteers organized by Sheriff Tom Hodgson walk in their red outfits. (Bottom row, right) Matthew Fuson and his sister Autumn pedal past the entrance to the campus on their bikes.