The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust says there are more than 9,200 students who have unstable housing. Each year, with Project UP-START and The Bass Museum of Art, the Homeless Trust sponsors the Sensitivity Poster and Essay Contest.
Three students at Lawton Chiles Middle School won their category in the art portion of the contest:
1st Place: Briana Garcia Puentes, sixth grade
2nd Place: Ella Menendez, eighth grade
3rd Place: Emely Brito, seventh grade
The contest theme was “Hope and Youth Homelessness.” The purpose of the competition is to promote compassion and understanding of homelessness among young people, the Homeless Trust said.
The artworks were to be displayed at The Bass Art Museum in Miami Beach on May 31, and will later hang at a shelter and services facility run by the Homeless Trust.
The students and art teacher Lilian Gonzalez were honored during the organization’s March 27 board meeting held at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center in Miami.