2017 Silver & Turquoise Ball
The Phoenix Indian Center presented the 2017 Leon Grant Spirit of the Community Award to Ernest “Ernie” L. Stevens, Sr. at the organization’s Silver & Turquoise Ball. Leon Grant was a founding member and the first executive director of the Phoenix Indian Center. His son, Mark Grant, presented the award. The April 22 fundraising event was held at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix.
Ernie Stevens, Jr. accepts award from Mark Grant.
Stevens, a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, advocated for sovereignty, self-determination, self-governance and Native rights for more than 40 years. Ernie Stevens, Jr., accepted the award on behalf of his father.
The event celebrated the Phoenix Indian Center’s 70th anniversary and also featured American Indian art live and silent auctions, a one-of-a-kind cultural dining experience prepared by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian executive chef, Freddie Bitsoie, plus a variety of culturally based entertainment.
Funds raised at the event support the nonprofit organization’s services and programs, from job preparedness and prevention programs, to cultural enrichment, youth programming and community engagement.
PHOTOS COURTESY PHOENIX INDIAN CENTER
The Grant Family
