Migdalia Rivera Taratunio, with her husband Jim, co-founded AYUDA for the Arts in April of 2001. Migdalia spent most of her life in the not-for-profit world, working for the Puerto Rican Family Institute, where she held a number of positions, most currently, Director of Development. At that position, she ran numerous successful fundraising events including large galas at The Plaza Hotel, The Boathouse in Central Park, Pierre Hotel and Chelsea Piers. The fundraising activities she organized included Golf Tournaments in both New York and Puerto Rico. Working with NBC, she was able to partner with them for a Christmas Toy Program where, over the years, amassed thousands of toys worth millions of dollars for the community. In 2005, she started a Summer Horse Camp Program in Maine in conjunction with Ballard Farms that sent hundreds of city children for a week in the country over the 13 years she ran the program. She was honored by El Diario la prensa as one of their “50 Outstanding Latinas”. Migdalia retired from PRFI in 2017 and now devotes much of her time to various community activities including, of course, AYUDA for the Arts.