Mentors and mentees in the SMILES (Southcoast Mentoring Initiative for Learning, Education and Service) mentoring program, a program of People, Incorporated (PI), gathered at People, Inc. headquarters on South Main Street on January 30, 2014 to celebrate National Mentoring Month. The program brought together people involved with SMILES, Big Friends Little Friends of the Family Service Association, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater New Bedford and the Boys and Girls Club of Fall River to share stories, hopes, achievements and pizza. “This is a terrific community effort,” stated SMILES Director Aaron Hubley who helped to put the program together. The event brought more than fifty people together including many mentor-mentee pairs and veteran mentors like the City's Youth Services Coordinator Christian McCloskey who has been mentoring for several decades. Click here for photos from last year's event. Anyone interested in learning more about SMILES should go to the website or contact contact Pamela O’Neil, Vice-President of Communications and Administration, at 774-627-2404. (Photos courtesy of Donna Giguere)

(Top row)  Family Service Association Big Friends Little Friends Director Ramona Turcotte joins some of her mentors. (Top row, center) SMILES Coordinator Aaron Hubley serves Meredith Locke of the Boys and Girls Club of Fall River. (Top row, right) SMILES Mentor Rob Dupont opens boxes of Pizza provided by Seth Hockert-Lotz of Domino's Pizza on South Main Street as Steve Merrill and Jeannine Boisvert help themselves. (Middle row) Mentor Tony Pires chats with PI's Vice-President of Communications and Administration Pam O'Neill prior to the program beginning. (Bottom row) More mentors arrive before People, Incorporated's Vice President of Community, Child and Family Services Jenny Diblasi introduces Mayor William Flanagan and Dominic Jackson who spoke about the value of mentoring.