Miami-Dade students’ art auction raises more than $100,000

Miami-Dade County Public Schools students and teachers turned donated supplies into auction artwork that helped raise more than $100,000 at The Education Fund’s For the Love of Art event on May 18 at Jungle Island. The fundraiser backed arts education and a materials center that has supplied more than $32 million in classroom resources.

Why it matters: - Miami-Dade students’ artwork helped generate more than $100,000 for public school students and arts education. - The event tied classroom creativity directly to private-sector support, showing how donated supplies can become funding for schools. - The Education Fund’s materials program has already contributed more than $32 million worth of supplies to public school classrooms.

What happened: - The Education Fund held its For the Love of Art Charity Auction & Honoree Celebration on Monday, May 18, 2026, at Jungle Island in Miami. - Ocean Bank presented the event. - Miami-Dade County Public Schools students’ creations were featured at the auction. - The fundraiser also marked The Education Fund’s annual Alumni Achievement Awards honoring Miami public school graduates. - Attendees bid on luxury items and one-of-a-kind pieces made by public school students and teachers. - The event included live music, an open bar, hands-on art activations and an epicurean feast.

The details: - Auction proceeds support arts education and The Education Fund Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials. - Teachers load free supplies from the center and bring them back to classrooms. - The donated materials include fabrics, paint, glass tiles, cigar boxes and discarded furniture. - Teachers and students then transform the surplus items into artwork for the auction. - This year’s auction had two categories: Art of Found Objects and Beyond the Page. - The Art of Found Objects category featured work built from donated surplus materials. - Beyond the Page was a new paper art category supported by a grant from the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation. - The paper-art initiative introduced paper as a creative medium in Miami-Dade classrooms and expanded arts programming across the district. - The Education Fund has raised $99 million for Miami-Dade County Public Schools students since the 1984–85 school year. - The Education Fund’s broader programs include Florida’s first free school-supply warehouse, Food Forests for Schools and a college-and-career initiative called SmartPath to Life. - The event’s major support came from the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation, Amazon, The Kirk Foundation, Peacock Foundation, Knight Foundation, Ken O'Keefe and Jason Stephens, South Florida Business Journal and Miami Herald. - More information is available from The Education Fund.

Between the lines: - The auction is more than a fundraiser; it is a showcase for how school supply donations can become visible, high-value public work. - The event also reinforces a broader message that arts access and student achievement can be strengthened through business partnerships. - Speakers and honorees from schools, banks, media, law, health care and civic groups underscore how wide that support network has become. - Dr. Jose L. Dotres, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, said the Art of Found Objects program shows what happens when the community invests in public school students. - Raydeivis Soguero, an art teacher at Booker T. Washington Senior High School, said the initiative connects students with the broader community and validates their work. - Linda Lecht, president of The Education Fund, said the auction shows how private-sector donations can move directly back into classrooms.

What’s next: - The Education Fund will continue operating its materials center and arts programs for Miami-Dade schools. - The organization will also keep recognizing alumni and community leaders through its annual awards program. - Future donations and sponsorships are likely to remain central to funding supplies, arts access and classroom support.

The bottom line: - Miami-Dade students turned donated leftovers into auction-worthy art, and the result was new money for classrooms, arts education and student support.