FALL RIVER – The SouthCoast Mentoring Initiative for Learning, Education, and Service (SMILES), an affiliate of People Incorporated, has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Amelia Peabody Foundation. Funding from the grant will help support the operation of SMILES in area schools, expand the Career Pathway Mentoring Program at Fall River’s Resiliency Preparatory Academy (RPA), and provide relevant, targeted training for staff.

SMILES currently serves students in 13 Fall River schools, three New Bedford schools, and Westport High School. Each mentor is paired with one student in the program. The pairs meet once per week in a group setting at the student’s school. During the mentoring sessions, a group leader guides the pairs through activities designed to improve the students’ literacy skills or address their social-emotional needs.

In the Career Pathway Mentoring Program, students at RPA are matched with a mentor who has experience in a career field that is an area of interest for the student. The matches are supported throughout the duration of the student’s enrollment in a workforce training module.

The SMILES program provides positive adult role models, working with social-emotional learning elements, to help students be better prepared to work with peers and adults in a classroom setting. Those interested in becoming a mentor for SMILES may contact the program directly at smiles@peopleinc-fr.org. For more information on the programs and services offered through People Incorporated, visit http://peopleinc-fr.org/.