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

Miami-Dade County Public Schools students and teachers turned donated supplies into auction pieces that helped The Education Fund raise more than $100,000 at Jungle Island on May 18. The event also honored alumni and highlighted how private donations are funding arts education and classroom materials across the district.

Why it matters: - The auction turned surplus classroom materials into new funding for Miami-Dade public school students. - The event raised more than $100,000 for arts education and classroom support. - The Education Fund’s supply center has provided more than $32 million in materials to public school classrooms since it opened. - The fundraising model links private-sector donations, student creativity and direct classroom impact.

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. - Miami-Dade County Public Schools students’ artwork took center stage at the event. - Ocean Bank presented the event. - The evening also included The Education Fund’s annual Alumni Achievement Awards for Miami-Dade public school graduates who are community and business leaders.

The details: - Guests bid on luxury items and one-of-a-kind works created by public school students and teachers. - Attendees also had live music, an open bar, hands-on art activations and an epicurean feast. - Two auction categories anchored the program: Art of Found Objects and Beyond the Page. - Art of Found Objects featured work built from donated surplus materials. - Beyond the Page was a new paper art category funded by a grant from the Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation. - The paper art initiative brought paper into Miami-Dade classrooms as a new artistic medium and expanded arts programming across the district. - Every piece in the auction began with a teacher picking up free supplies at The Education Fund Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials. - The donated materials included fabrics, paint, glass tiles, cigar boxes and discarded furniture. - Teachers brought the supplies back to their classrooms and worked with students to transform them into finished art. - The Education Fund said the center has contributed more than $32 million worth of materials to public school classrooms. - Since the 1984–85 school year, The Education Fund has raised $99 million for Miami-Dade County Public Schools students. - Speakers and presenters included Miami-Dade school board leaders, district administrators, Ocean Bank, Amazon, Taubco, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Anthony R. Abraham Foundation.

Between the lines: - The event showed how donated supplies can become both classroom resources and fundraising assets. - The student art drew attention because it made public school creativity visible to business leaders and donors. - Ocean Bank’s backing has helped sustain the program for more than three decades, giving the event a long-term corporate anchor. - The Education Fund’s broader work includes Florida’s first free school-supply warehouse, Food Forests for Schools and a college-and-career initiative called SmartPath to Life. - The nonprofit is using this event to reinforce a larger message: public education improves when private partners fund practical tools, not just scholarships or one-time gifts.

What’s next: - The Education Fund will continue its nonprofit programming through educationfund.org. - The alumni awards and art auction model is positioned to keep channeling proceeds back into classrooms. - Additional 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.

The bottom line: - Miami-Dade students turned donated odds and ends into art, and that art turned into new money for public schools.