Mentor matches blooming all over the place!

It's garden season, isn't it? Planting and watering, sowing and weeding, and looking forward to the flowers blooming and the vegetables ripening.

Well, here at SMILES, everything is in full bloom now, with lots of positive results from the year's mentoring programs. And, there's plenty of evidence, such as this letter from the parent of a mentee to one of our facilitators:

Mrs. Brown,

I just wanted to thank you for doing the SMILES program and including Will. He really loves it and looks forward to it each time. Will had a tough year with diabetes and not feeling well. the SMILES program gave him a boost each week. He especially loved the exercise that all the kids wrote nice things about each other. I said to him 'We tell you those things all the time.' He said: 'Yeah, Mom, but you're my parents, you HAVE to say that.' It really added to his sense of self. So, thank you.

Then, there are notes like this one written by a 2nd grade student in a SMILES Literacy program:

And, SMILES loves to get comments such as these from teachers whose students are in literacy-based programs:

"The mentors share stories about their lives, and the children love it."

"The mentors allow the children to share their stories one on one, they are great listeners."

"Many of the children are so pleased with their reading fluency that they now volunteer to read out loud in class."


It's great knowing that the SMILES garden is in full bloom as the school year winds down. Thanks for letting us share with you. And remember, there are sooo many more children who need mentors. If you'd like more information on becoming a SMILES mentor, do contact the office at (508) 999-9300, email Nicole at nalmeida@smilesmentoring.org or check out our website at www.smilesmentoring.org.

Girl Power in Mentoring

Ladies, this one's for you!

Roosevelt Middle School in New Bedford is interested in starting a Girls Mentoring Program!

Some of the SMILES staff attended a Girl's Tea at the South End school recently, where 100 professional women shared their experiences with 100 7th Grade female students. The idea was to give the young ladies the opportunity to meet area women who could share some of their experiences about becoming successful, productive women.

It was a great event! Looking around the room, you could see the shyness and anxiety of meeting new people melt away as the tea cups were filled and the breakfast sandwiches were served. And, when the idea was introduced to build on the event by establishing a weekly GIRLS mentoring program, several women said they'd be interested in participating.

What are your ideas for building mentoring programs in the community to answer the need for positive role models? Let us know!