As you know, Rise Up & Care is always on the lookout for new friends to meet and new communities to partner with. This time, our travels took us all the way to the sun-dappled streets of beautiful Puerto Rico! Naturally, our very first trip to the Island of Enchantment had to be a listening and observing mission. We wanted to see as many people and as many organizations as possible—while we weren’t too busy trying to get a tan, of course!
It turns out the island is just brimming with local superheroes, incredible street art, and old-fashioned boricua magic! We talked to so many wonderful people, including Maria “Baby” Jaunarena, executive director of Fundación Colibrí, and Sofía Maldonado-Suárez, an artist at Sofias Studio in San Juan. Everyone we met was excited about Rise Up & Care, and couldn’t wait to tell us about this community leader or that local organization. It looks like we’ve got a lot of work to do in Puerto Rico, and, honestly, we just can’t wait to go back!
Here are some pictures of Puerto Rico’s dazzling street art, as well as some of Sofía’s work. Follow Sofía at www.sofiamaldonado.com or at @sofiamaldo on Instagram:
