MIAMI, FL (07/24/2020) - The thousands of refugees that arrive in South Florida every month find themselves in a new environment where they don’t speak or understand the language and culture. They are pulled between two worlds — the beloved homeland they left behind and their new home. Refugees today are often subject to political whims that can place them in precarious situations and threaten their future.
The Refugee Assistance Alliance (RAA) was founded in 2017 by Kristen Bloom to support underserved refugee populations in South Florida by providing services such as in-home tutoring, cultural programming and special activities. The non-profit organization has gotten creative with raising the funds needed to operate. Their movie screenings and dining experiences are popular and in 2019, they began a partnership with Artist Adriana Jaramillo, who goes by Adriana Jay, for online art auctions.
“I was completely blown away.” Said Adriana Jay about attending the dinner hosted by RAA that prompted her to get more involved. Adriana Jay is known for her paintings of women traveling the world. The online auction kicked off June 24th 2020 and will run through August 24th 2020.
Three paintings are up for auction. All original works of art, that come with Certificates of Authenticity signed by the artist. Adriana Jay has garnished attention from local media and her works are expected to increase in value over time. All profits from the sale of the paintings will be donated directly to the RAA to support refugee families and promote peace and understanding among the people of South Florida.
“We all can relate to each other on some level, we’ve all had to start over, face our vulnerabilities, been challenged in different ways and when we bring people together it’s really special.” Said Bloom about the work the RAA does in an Instagram video conversation with Adriana Jay.
Contact: Miriam Dorsett, Chibur
Phone: 305-857-5913
Email: m@chibur.info
