Bridge the Gap for Homeless Youth

Dear Friend,

Meet Joi! A former homeless youth, she is now a successful young artist who was recently honored at the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty’s annual event. Joi designed the artwork for the award plaques that were given to awardees that evening. She loved seeing her work on display and meeting some famous attendees! Please enjoy Joi’s bio that the awards ceremony included in their literature that evening:

 This year's McKinney­Vento Awards plaques feature custom artwork created and donated by Joi of the Latin American Youth Center in Washington, D.C. The title of the artwork is "New Perspective" (2017).

Joi was born on August 8, 1998, in Detroit, Michigan. She moved to Washington, D.C. at the age of nineteen with no place to live. But with support from jobs, drop-in centers, and the homeless youth programs at the Latin American Youth Center, she is now a thriving young artist working on custom art and apparel for a variety of audiences.

For her plaque design, Joi took the concept of housing and homelessness “‘with a sweet twist of hope.’ The artwork is layered and mixed with pencil, ink pen, markers, watercolor, and acrylic paint. The homeless man is landscaped across the floor, one with the earth and soil, with the lines in his face representing his life. On top of him is displayed the hope of inviting pastel row houses. A similar face coming out of the chimney is blended with the hopeful houses-the same man. He is looking at his own self with hope, yet the lines on his face remain, demonstrating the challenges he has been through.”

Join me in celebrating Joi by making a recurring donation to LAYC! Your support during this holiday season means that another young person like Joi can succeed.

Gracias,

Lori