The Education Fund (EducationFund.org) will honor the achievements of 14 public school alumni and showcase the artistic talents found in Miami-Dade County schools at For the Love of Art Charity Auction and Honoree Celebration presented by Ocean Bank on Thursday, June 6, at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
The Education Fund will auction more than 150 pieces of original artwork created by public school students and teachers using materials found in the nonprofit’s Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials, an 11,000-square-foot school supply depot where educators stock up on free materials for their classes.
Each year, attendees good-naturedly elbow each other out of the way, vying to put their bids in to win children’s art.
“It demonstrates how talented our students are, and how much the community wants to support arts in our public schools,” said Linda Lecht, president of The Education Fund. “We’ve seen serious art collectors take home children’s pieces that they’ve then hung next to prominent art pieces that are worth tens of thousands of dollars or more.”
The money raised from the sale of the children’s and teachers’ artwork will fund the visual arts programs at the school where each piece was created.
Ocean Bank, The Children’s Trust, Anthony R. Abraham Family Foundation, Sapoznik Insurance, Sanford L. Ziff Family Foundation, Jonathan Symons, and Myrna and Sheldon Palley have provided major support to make the annual fundraiser possible. The Education Fund also will raise funds for its programs from the auction of luxury vacations, gourmet dinners, and adventure experiences.
For the Love of Art (#FortheLoveofArt) will feature an open bar with specialty drinks by Bacardi, craft beer from Biscayne Bay Brewing Company and the Loews Hotel’s famous paella. Guests will be treated to The New Tropic’s fun-filled photo booth and live musical performances.
