Art Auction & Gala
El Futuro’s Annual Art Auction and Fundraiser
El Futuro’s 5th Annual Art Auction, held on November 1st, was an extraordinary celebration of creativity, community, and calor humano—and a remarkable success. Thanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of our supporters, the evening raised $210,000 to support El Futuro’s mission and strengthen our digital presence, extending our reach to even more families in need.
The Expresiones Art Auction has truly become one of the region’s premier events, bringing together a vibrant tapestry of leaders from mental health, philanthropy, Latino leadership, and the arts.
With 300 in-person guests, engagement from 4,000+ newsletter subscribers, and nearly 800 online bidders, El Futuro’s Annual Art Auction demonstrates the power of community coming together to nurture stronger familias and help them live out their dreams.
Powered by Our Community Partners
We are profoundly grateful to our generous sponsors whose partnership is essential to the success of the Expresiones Art Auction and to El Futuro’s mission. Your support allows us to maximize the impact of this event by reducing costs, increasing net proceeds, and ensuring that more resources go directly toward providing high-quality, culturally responsive mental health care for the families we serve.
We warmly invite others to become sponsors and join this committed group of community leaders. Sponsorship is a powerful way to make a lasting difference, align your values with meaningful impact, and help El Futuro continue growing its reach and transforming lives for years to come.
Want to talk about Event Sponsorship opportunities and benefits? Contact: Mary Coffman at mcoffman@elfuturo-nc.org.
Alvely Alcántara, LCSW
Rossy C. Garcia, MEd 
Katy Sims, MD 
Everardo Aviles, LCSW, LCAS (Eve)
As a medical anthropologist and social work researcher, Dr. Gulbas’ research embodies interdisciplinarity through the integration of applied theories of health and human development with qualitative and ethnographic methodologies. Her work seeks to understand how people—children, families, and providers—navigate complex sociocultural landscapes in the pursuit of mental health. Most of her work, to date, focuses attention on developing more robust interpretations of suicide risk. With funding from the National Institutes of Mental Health, this body of research has contributed to advancements in theoretical and empirical knowledge of the broader contexts within which youth suicide risk is situated. 
R. Gabriela Barajas-Gonzalez is a developmental psychologist and an assistant professor of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the principal investigator of a study that examines the impact of immigration-related threat and stress on school communities. She earned a PhD in developmental psychology from Columbia University and hold a BA in human biology from Stanford University. Dr. Barajas-Gonzalez is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first gen college student.
Dr. Parra-Cardona is an Associate Professor in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work (SHSSW) at the University of Texas at Austin. At the SHSSW, he serves as Coordinator for Mexico and Latin American initiatives. He also serves as Area Director for Research at the UT Austin Latino Research Institute. Dr. Parra-Cardona’s program of research is focused on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based parenting interventions for low-income Latinx populations in the US and Latin America.
Bianka Reese, PhD, MSPH is a research scientist and program evaluator specializing in adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her previous research in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her work as the Research and Evaluation Manager at SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led largescale evaluations of multilevel, community-based sexual health promotion initiatives and research projects aimed at elevating the voices of diverse youth in North Carolina. Dr. Reese is currently the Senior Research Strategist at Creative Research Solutions, LLC, an award-winning national evaluation, research, and assessment firm.
Tania Connaughton-Espino, MPH is an independent researcher focused on adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health. Her interest in the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth stems from her previous work with SHIFT NC (Sexual Initiatives For Teens), where she led the training and evaluation department, conducted capacity-building workshops for youth serving professionals including on the topic of how to be more affirming of LGBTQ youth, and from her extensive experience working with the Latinx population in NC.
Maru Gonzalez, EdD is an Assistant Professor and Youth Development Specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University. Her areas of inquiry include youth development with a focus on activism, social justice, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people across familial, school, and community contexts. 
Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas, PhD
Hector Y. Adames, PsyD