The Phoenix Indian Center invites community members to celebrate Native American Heritage Month!

For 77 years, we have served as a resource for our urban, American Indian community and will continue to dedicate our programs and services to benefit our tribal relatives. Our vision continues to focus on creating a healthy & thriving urban American Indian community. Our mission also continues to focus on serving as the hub for the advancement of our tribal relatives with culturally relevant essential services, programs, and initiatives. We will also not forget to acknowledge that we are on the traditional and contemporary homelands of the Akimel O’Odham and Piipaash peoples. We will always recognize and support Arizona’s twenty-two sovereign tribes and the many other tribal citizens who call the Valley of the Sun home. We honor our ancestors, our stories, our history, and look forward to a healthy and vibrant future for all.

For information about our upcoming programs and events visit our calendar page. 

2024 Arizona American Indian Excellence in Leadership Awards

The Phoenix Indian Center congratulates the winners of its 2024 Arizona American Indian Excellence in Leadership Awards. Each year, awards are given in nine categories for nominees who demonstrate dedication, leadership, and commitment to the advancement and development of the cultural, educational, social, economic, or political welfare of the American Indian Community. Our 2024 winners in the following categories include:

• Kent C. Ware Lifetime Achievement Award: Jack Ahasteen (Diné)
• Phyllis J. Bigpond Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Juliette Roddy (Ojibwe and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians)
• Woman of the Year: Loris Taylor (Hopi)
• Person of the Year: Eddie George/ Navi Ho (Diné)
• Business of the Year: Ahehee’ Shidine’e Homecare
• Volunteer of the Year: Barbara Tinhorn (Hualapai Tribe)
• Friend of the Community: Cooper Davis 
• College Student of the Year: Angellisa J. Hoffman (San Carlos Apache) – Northern Arizona University
• High School Student of the Year: Natasha Juan (Gila River Indian Community)

The Arizona American Indian Excellence in Leadership Awards program, formerly known as Native American Recognition Days Awards, has continued for more than 40 years. The awards were presented in a ceremony at the Heard Museum on November 22, 2024.

To view previous winners, click here. 

We invite you to join us for the #AMileFor community walk, a special event during National Suicide Prevention Month that brings us together to remember our loved ones impacted by suicide and to raise awareness for mental health resources. This campaign turns to our cultural ways of using physical activity as a way to heal and support one another. 

Event details: 
Date: Saturday, September 28th 
Time: 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM 
Location: 4041 N Central Ave, Building B, Phoenix, AZ 85013

Free #AMileFor t-shirts and customizable signs will be available on a first-come, first-served basis! Be sure to wear purple, bring some water, and don’t forget to invite your friends, family, and even your fur babies to join the walk. Together, we’ll take steps toward hope and healing for our community. We hope to see you there!

For questions, call our Prevention Team at 602-264-6768