Nov 22, 2022
J’Von Goes Rogue to Help Fund The Jump
JumpStart Designers raises nearly $200,000 for kids in underserved communities
On the evening of Friday 18th November, Emonee LaRussa, a 2x Emmy award winning Motion Graphics Artist and President of JumpStart Designers, in partnership and with the support of Moonpay, Adobe and UTA, plus many supporting artists and contributors, helped to fundraise nearly $200,000 to provide computers & digital art programs to kids in underserved communities.
https://youtube.com/shorts/3XbPngcAiKI?feature=share
The Spark
As a child Emonee dreamed of making art and music videos and quickly realized that without access to tools or money, she’d be left dreaming. Emonee’s dreams came to life the day her mother saved up enough to buy her first laptop, where she could start designing. Just imagine how many kids encounter this same limiting factor and the creative potential that is never showcased to the world.
JumpStart Designers was created to give every child in underserved communities an equal chance to express themselves in the digital art space.
The Event
And so at the Superchief Gallery, LA on the evening of Friday 18th a venue was dressed to brilliantly showcase the incredible work and lineup of supporting artists — far too many to mention, but all whose contributing art can be viewed here on the JumpStart Designers website.
Mission statements adorned the walls, reminding us why those of us who are fortunate enough to be in Web3 or tech have a responsibility to help onboard the creative minds of the future.
The online auction had already started on 17th November. There was something for everyone, with custom commissions from some of the most talented digital artists being auctioned to the highest bidder. The hammer dropped anywhere between 0.8 & 31 ETH (~$960 — $37,000 USD at the time of auction), raising 130 ETH (~$156,000 USD) on the day!!
With the auction and the event underway, it was time to mingle, grab a banging jerk chicken taco and…
…Wait. What’s that box in the corner?
The Rogue
From a photo booth, with a few cutouts and a draped entrance, you will have caught a glance of the Loser King going rogue, J’Von.
Rogue’s are a hot commodity in the Loser Club community, and so it was no surprise that people lined up all night long to donate, and in return receive a custom rogue portrait, drawn live, whilst in conversation with J’Von.
For those supporting from afar, J’Von and Loser Club were also proud to raise a further 1.62 ETH for the non-profit through the sale of one custom and three existing Rogues from the Loser Club: The Rogue Collection. Thank you to JadeSkye, Maestro, Zack Radio and Ronnie Charrier for your donations.
It was amazing to see so many people come together for such a wonderful cause. With so many to thank we couldn’t possibly cover it all in this article. Please take some time to check out everyone who helped pull the event together in this thread from Emonee herself.
Lastly, a huge thank you has to go to Emonee, for inviting J’Von and Loser Club to be a part of a truly special event. You’re doing an incredible job for an amazing cause. Long may it continue 🤟🏼
