Powwow for Hope attendees singing and drumming in support of cancer prevention and early detection.

With support from the Prevent Cancer Foundation and other sponsors, the American Indian Cancer Foundation (AICAF) organized the Powwow for Hope: dancing for life, love & hope. This powwow created a positive, culturally appropriate environment to honor and support cancer survivors, caregivers and families impacted by cancer and to increase cancer awareness and prevention education for American Indian families. This very special event was held in Minneapolis, MN on April 28, 2012, with over 2,000 participants from several tribal nations across the Midwest, including Red Lake Nation Tribal Chairman Buck Jourdain and U.S. Senator Al Franken.

Powwow for Hope was a dream shared by spiritual leader, Michael Dahl of the White Earth Anishinaabe. Michael is an energetic and passionate leader and volunteer for AICAF because he, like so many of us, has experienced the devastation caused by the cancer epidemic among American Indians.

American Indian community celebrating cancer survivors at Powwow for Hope.

By empowering people to get involved as volunteers, dancers, drummers, singers, educators, or to contribute monetarily, we successfully met our goals and raised more than $30,000 and more importantly, Powwow for Hope provided opportunities for Native people to get the support that has been missing when it comes to dealing with cancer. The twenty-eight teams that creatively raised most of the money before and during the event were critical to the success. These teams and others also donated more than 100 items to the silent auction. The Powwow for Hope was an immensely positive and successful event. Planning has already begun for Powwow for Hope 2013!

For more information visit www.powwowforhope.org or www.AICAF.org

Editor’s Note: The Prevent Cancer Foundation funded the Powwow for Hope project of the American Indian Cancer Foundation (AICAF) as one of the 2012 community grants that focus on helping people prevent cancer or find it earlier. AICAF is a non-profit organization that was established to address the tremendous cancer inequities faced by American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The group leveraged the Foundation grant along with local community resources to hold the successful educational and cultural event and to support additional cancer programming for the community.

Read more about the 2012 grantees and previous grant awards.

The Foundation’s Community Grants program supports local cancer awareness education and screening programs across the United States for all populations, especially underserved communities.

In January, the Foundation awarded $85,000 in community grants to nine new recipients from communities in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee. Among the supported projects is Cancer Queens! A Cancer Prevention Musical Revue. With performances across Tennessee, the revue features cancer prevention and health promotion messages set to popular music. This program of the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center targets women over the age of 35 and encourages them to make healthy lifestyle choices, including getting screened for cancer.

New this year, are grantees with a focus on preventive health in younger generations. The Skin Cancer Institute at the Arizona Cancer Center educates parents in Tucson on sun safety habits for their babies and themselves through the distribution of sun safety gift bags. Based in Anchorage, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium will promote healthy lifestyle choices and nutritional habits among Alaska native youth at risk for obesity by developing and distributing workbooks that emphasize traditional foods and physical activities involved in food gathering and preparation.

A social networking approach will be used by the Gilda’s Club South Florida to educate African American women in three counties about breast cancer awareness and early detection, as well as encourage participants to share what they learn with others. Two other grantees are focusing on breast cancer education at the local level. The Orange County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in California is providing breast health and cancer education for Hispanic women in an effort to reduce late-stage diagnoses and mortality among this community. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Linda Creed: Fighting Breast Cancer with Heart organization is using established educational programs to educate low-income and underinsured African American and lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.

Turning the Tides on Colorectal and Prostate Cancer will be the focus of the preventive work done by the Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center, Inc., in Florida. The program will provide colorectal and prostate cancer education to medically underserved Hispanics and African Americans in two counties.  In South Carolina, the Upstate Prostate Cancer Alliance aims to educate African American males about prostate cancer awareness through presentations and survivor testimonials in 12 counties.

Funds from the Foundation will support the Peak Vista Community Health Centers’ annual no-cost skin cancer screening event in May, which emphasizes early detection and prevention education. This valuable program, powered by professionals volunteering their time, will provide 400 individuals with screenings and skin cancer education in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The Foundation is proud to support the FY11 grantees and their work to provide cancer prevention education and screening to communities across the country.

Do you know of other innovative community-level programs focused on cancer prevention education and screening? What have you done in your hometown to raise awareness?