The Fun 4 Kidz – Lauryn Williams Mentoring Program has an extremely successful inaugural
year. The program helped those children who lack inspiring role models in their every day life,
to learn and gain support from a successful member of society who has dedicated their time to
enhancing the quality of life for a young boy or girl. This program ran for roughly 20 weeks.

This program paired 25 children from South Miami Middle School with 25 student-athletes from
the University of Miami Football and Women’s Track and Field teams. Mentors and mentees kept
in touch weekly via e-mail and telephone. Additionally, the pairs got 5 chances to spend quality
face to face time attending an opening dinner (and UM practice), a UM basketball game, a women’s
track and field meet, a night out at Gameworks, and a concluding lunch at Texas de Brazil.

Looking forward, the program will expand, using the same format with added interaction to
include a total of 60 mentor and mentee combinations. Students once again will come from the
sixth, seventh, and eighth grades at South Miami Middle School. All students receive
free/reduced lunch and are thus from disadvantaged backgrounds.