Pictured: No Place Like Homeless Jack Dowd. Courtesy of Art Avenue.

Art Avenue is pleased to announce it will be hosting Hands Up for Homes! An Art Auction Benefitting Second Heart Homes, Inc. Art Avenue founder and owner Paul Sykes will chair the second-annual live auction on Friday, March 10, from 6pm to 9pm, at Art Avenue’s Siesta Key Mall location in Sarasota. Free parking is available in the mall lot at 3501 South Tamiami Trail. The event is free. Guests can enjoy wine, sushi by Tsunami and live music while bidding on more than 20 works of art donated by local artists, including “Andy Warhol” sculptor Jack Dowd, “Spread Love” artist Brandon Thrift and “Women of the Resistance” painter Vicki Chelf. Supporters who are unable to attend the event can double their
donations up to $500 through the Flanzer matching gift program at secondhearthomes.org. All proceeds go to Second Heart Homes, a local nonprofit that provides housing and high-touch supportive services to 43 homeless men and women with mental health conditions in seven properties across Sarasota and Manatee counties. They closed on their 8 th property on March 2nd . “Hands Up for Homes! encourages bidders and donors to ‘give a hand up, rather than a hand out,’ so that we can reduce the impact of chronic homelessness on our community while getting our homeless adults off the street and back on their feet,” said Megan Howell, founder and executive director for Second Heart Homes. “Our funding comes solely from individual and private sector giving. We’re hoping to raise $100,000 from the auction for the launching of our next 2 homes.” Event sponsors include Art Avenue, CitySide, Kitchner Benefits, Lori Sax Photography, Sandbox Financial Partners, Szantosi Art, and Tsunami Sushi. For more information and to give, contact Megan Howell at megan@secondhearthomes.org or 941-201-9353.

Pictured: No Place Like Homeless Jack Dowd. Courtesy of Art Avenue.