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

Miami-Dade County Public Schools students and teachers turned donated surplus materials into 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 auction spotlighted arts education, honored local alumni, and showcased a district program that has delivered more than $32 million in classroom materials.

Why it matters: - The auction converted donated supplies into student-made art and cash for public school classrooms. - The event raised more than $100,000 for arts education and The Education Fund Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials. - The center has provided more than $32 million worth of materials to public school classrooms since it launched. - The Education Fund has raised $99 million for Miami-Dade County Public Schools students since the 1984–85 school year.

What happened: - The Education Fund held its For The Love of Art Charity Auction & Honoree Celebration on May 18, 2026, at Jungle Island in Miami. - Miami-Dade County Public Schools students' creations were featured at the event. - Ocean Bank presented the event. - The evening also included The Education Fund's annual Alumni Achievement Awards, which honor graduates of Miami-Dade County Public Schools who are community and business leaders.

The details: - The auction featured two categories: Art of Found Objects and Beyond the Page. - Art of Found Objects used works built from donated surplus materials. - Beyond the Page was a new paper art category made possible by a grant from the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation. - The Beyond the Page initiative brought paper into Miami-Dade County Public Schools classrooms as an artistic medium and expanded arts programming across the district. - Teachers loaded carts of free supplies from The Education Fund Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials before turning them into classroom art projects with students. - The donated materials included fabrics, paint, glass tiles, cigar boxes and discarded furniture. - Attendees saw live music, an open bar, hands-on art activations, an epicurean feast, luxury items and one-of-a-kind pieces made by public school students and teachers. - All proceeds supported arts education and classroom materials. - The Education Fund's programs include Florida's first free school-supply warehouse, Food Forests for Schools and a college-and-career initiative called SmartPath to Life. - More information is available at The Education Fund.

Between the lines: - The event showed how surplus materials can become both a classroom resource and a public-facing fundraising asset. - School and corporate partners used the auction to frame arts access as part of student success, not an optional add-on. - Superintendent Dr. Jose L. Dotres said the Art of Found Objects program shows what happens when the community invests in public school students. - Linda Lecht, president of The Education Fund, said private-sector donations start the process and classroom impact follows. - Ocean Bank's long-running support helped make the event and the materials pipeline possible. - The alumni awards extended the message beyond students by spotlighting Miami-Dade graduates in leadership roles.

What's next: - The Education Fund will continue using private-sector donations to stock classrooms and support arts programming. - The organization will keep expanding its nonprofit programming through educationfund.org. - The annual alumni recognition program and art auction are positioned to remain part of the group's fundraising and community-engagement strategy.

The bottom line: - Miami-Dade students turned donated supplies into art, and that art turned into direct support for public schools.