Phoenix Indian Center’s Silver & Turquoise Ball Raises Record $764,000
43rd annual celebration welcomes 830 guests and honors Bernadine Burnette’s decades of community leadership
The Phoenix Indian Center’s 43rd Annual Silver & Turquoise Ball brought the community together at Talking Stick Resort on October 17, 2026. With the theme “Rooted in Community,” the evening celebrated Indigenous culture, leadership and generosity.
Event Chair Larry Fitzgerald Jr. and Auction Chair Kahara Hodges helped make the celebration memorable. A private lunch experience with Fitzgerald raised $60,000—the highest amount ever raised for a single live auction item at the Ball. The Center presented Bernadine Burnette, current Councilmember and former President of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, with the 2026 Leon Grant Spirit of the Community Award, recognizing her decades of leadership and commitment to Native communities.
With support from first-ever Diamond Presenting Sponsor Casino Arizona | Talking Stick Resort, fellow sponsors, donors and guests, the record funds raised will strengthen PIC’s workforce development, youth, prevention, community support, civic engagement, and language and culture programs.
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