Silver & Turquoise Ball
The Silver & Turquoise Ball, Phoenix Indian Center’s premier fundraising event, was held virtually Oct. 16. More than 1,000 people tuned in for the live-streamed event with the theme Celebrating the Art of Native Fashion. Three fashion shows featured the work of Lloyd Kiva New, presented by Robert Black; Water Lily presented by Patricia Michaels; and ACONAV by Loren and Valentina Aragon.
“We are truly thankful for everyone who supported our event, even in this new format, especially our sponsors, event chair Verrin Kewenvoyouma and our executive committee,” says Patricia Hibbeler, CEO of Phoenix Indian Center. “A lot of hard work went into staging the fashion shows and pulling everything together. We couldn’t be more grateful for the generosity of those who donated during the event, bid on our online auction and gave their time and talent to making this event a success. We exceeded our fundraising goal for the event.”
Each year, an American Indian chef creates an indigenous-inspired menu for the event. During the event, those who donated were entered into a drawing for a virtual cooking class with Chef Yazzie.
Robert Sarver, owner of the Phoenix Suns, accepted the Leon Grant Spirit of the Community Award on behalf of the Phoenix Suns for being a friend and supporter and uplifting the American Indian community by hosting Native youth basketball programs, supporting Phoenix Indian Center’s annual Youth Leadership Day and holding Native American heritage nights. The award, named after Phoenix Indian Center’s first executive director and founding member, was presented by his family.
