2023 Fall Art Auction Fundraiser: Expresiones

For the third year in a row, El Futuro will host an Art Auction & Fundraiser in order to attract new supporters, raise funds for organizational sustainability, and uplift local artists and businesses.

Theme: EXPRESIONES y cultura (Expressions & Culture)
This year’s theme builds on 2022’s theme of Expresiones/Expressions, but with a closer focus on cultural pride and its reinforcing impact on optimal mental health. Culture is both something we are born into and something we create – much like mental health has synergistic and intertwined syndemic factors that can be both biological and environmental. We believe that by working in, and with, cultural knowledge and practices, we can obtain more meaningful healing for our community. As it is said: “la cultura cura.” Likewise, culture – like mental health – is not a fixed thing, but rather something in motion – as each individual and each generation incorporates the lessons of their ancestors while also exploring new paths. The national birds and flowers of Latin America (which will be thematic elements for this event) help to illustrate this as they provide national pride and sense of place to people, but they are not bound by geo-political borders. Their artistic beauty and freedom of movement are expressions of life’s deep longing for itself.

Why this is important

The target population for El Futuro services are low-resource, un- and underinsured Latino families struggling with mental health symptoms in the Triangle region, especially during the COVID19 pandemic. This is one of our region’s most marginalized communities and one that struggled with disproportionate rates of trauma exposure even before the pandemic. Approximately 85% of the clients we serve are un- or underinsured, and consistently 95% fall below 200% of poverty. Seventy percent of our clients are victims of crime, and when we last surveyed, 54% had arrived in our country as unaccompanied minors (meaning they migrated to the US without a parent or close adult relative). Typically about 40% of our clients are children, and we intentionally provide a two-generation approach to care, supporting parents who then are able to provide more nurturing environments for their children who are struggling with emotional challenges. In particular, the funds raised from the event are helping ensure continued access to services – for even more new patients and families – in the ongoing wake of increased levels of need due to these disproportionate impacts of the pandemic.

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