What are you grateful for this holiday season?

In Miami, the community recently came together to invest in local non-profit organizations. YES Institute received an outpouring of support. It is thanks to friends, family, community partners, participants of our work, and everyone who continues to provide guidance for our work, that allows us to continue to thrive. It is our friends that we are most grateful for this holiday season.

YES Institute recently lost a friend this year. We dedicate this holiday season to honoring Toby Devan Lewis’ kindness. We share our heartfelt gratitude to Lewis’ legacy and her family.

Born in Brooklyn in 1934, Toby Devan Lewis dedicated her life to the arts and culture. She once said, “[m]y main goal was to put together one of the best corporate contemporary art collections in the country. My objective was to challenge our natural inclination to be inflexible in the face of an ever-growing need to be open to new ideas and alternative perspectives.” Lewis served as the founding curator of the collection of Progressive Insurance and when she left Progressive in 2006, Lewis launched the Toby Fund. 

YES Institute is honored to be a recipient of the generosity of the Toby Fund for over a decade with more than a quarter million dollars donated to our vision and mission. Lewis’ dedication to creating new ways for people to discover and view the world allows our organization to continue leading powerful dialogues and courses. We honor Lewis’ commitment to inspiring new ideas and hold her memory near and dear. 

Toby Lewis
1934 – 2022