ROCHELLE — Mosaic art pieces made by the students in the Rochelle Elementary School District HUB Program are being auctioned off this month to benefit the Danny and Stephanie Williams Fund for the Arts, a donor-advised fund at the Rochelle Area Community Foundation.

The students worked over the summer to create the four art works to donate to the Williams Fund for the Arts annual art show fundraiser, which had to be canceled, due to Danny Williams’ battle with multiple myeloma. The Daniel and Stephanie Williams Fund for the Arts was established in 2018 to help future artists bring statues, sculptures, murals and other permanent or semi-permanent art projects to life in the community.

HUB Program Director Yazmin Nambo said the program and the students still wanted to help raise money, so they decided to hold an online auction to sell the mosaics to benefit the fund. 

“For me, giving back to the community is a big thing and our HUB Program is a big part of our community,” Nambo said. “I think our kids are always trying to find ways to give back to our community or help out. They're always excited to do projects that they know are going to be for a good cause. It's a form of giving back to our community and making sure we're instilling those values in our students. The HUB Program depends a lot on our community with people and organizations coming in and providing services for our kids at no charge.”

The auction is ongoing and will run through Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. Four mosaic pieces are available, identified by the numbers 1-4. Bidding can be done through Facebook comments on the auction post, through private messaging on Facebook, and emailing bids to director@rochellefoundation.org. Bidders must send their name, the piece number, and the amount they want to bid. The mosaic pieces can be viewed in person at the RACF office at 350 May Mart Drive during regular business hours. RACF will make weekly announcements sharing the highest bid amounts for each piece. During the last week of the auction, RACF will post daily bid updates to keep everyone informed of the current highest bids. Winners will be notified Nov. 1. If you wish to donate directly to the fund without bidding, visit rochellefoundation.org and click “Donate,” then select the fund you wish to support.

HUB Program Art Teacher Lillian Andrew said her students learned about mosaics and their history before each student made a paper mosaic. The group then brainstormed themes for four different collaborative mosaics. Andrew drew up designs and students arranged the pieces and put them together.

The mosaics were made by students from first grade up to eighth grade. 

“The kids love them and I love them,” Andrew said. “I'm really proud of them and I love seeing the kids' ideas come through. For one of them, they wanted planets as well as a desert theme and you can see that in the piece. They're ecstatic about them. They loved using a different material and exploring and using those tools.”

The HUB Program is specifically targeted to support the district’s K-8 at-risk youth using a before and after-school model plus summer school. It provides educational activities for children and experiences such as members of the community coming in to do demonstrations for the students. Andrew said the extra time the program provides allows her to teach students about art in more detail than regular class time allows. 

“One of the neat things about the HUB Program is that we're able to do things that aren't typically possible in the classroom,” Nambo said. “Lillian might not be able to teach the art of mosaic to that extent in art class. During the day she sees kids once a week for 40 minutes. In summer HUB, she's able to have them 4-5 days straight and get into more detail and explore more careers with them.”

Nambo said the HUB Program is big on making sure it involves the community and takes any chance it can to pay back those that have helped out with it in the past. RACF Executive Director Emily Anaya said she’s enjoyed seeing the collaboration that has yielded the auction of the mosaic pieces. 

“It teaches our youth in the HUB Program that everyone, no matter their age, can make a difference,” Anaya said. “The mosaic pieces these kids made are stunning, and we love that we are able to auction them off using our Facebook page so we can reach all of our friends on social media. We are hoping for an amazing turnout, and 100 percent of the proceeds go into the Danny and Stephanie Williams Fund For The Arts, ensuring continued support for local arts here in the Rochelle community. This is just another way our donors and partners find creative ways to raise money in support of local causes they have a passion for."