Team Carrie Powwow For Hope Fundraiser

This was the 11th Annual Powwow For Hope Fundraiser and probably the 8th year of Team Carrie. I sold calendars, cookbooks, another calendar with recipes, one year a book about cancer, another year a book with Anishinabe stories and the Ojibwe language, and a few years with a book about diabetes.

Then there were ribbon skirts, bags, jewelry, and more. This year we sold tickets for those donating to team Carrie and we had some great donated prizes for the ticket winners.

Why do we raise funds? It helps support early screening, and there is support for the person with cancer and their family.

My cousin Faith died from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, at age 73, my sister Carrie died from leukemia at age 53, and I am 10 years out from my diagnosis of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The cancer, I have is considered treatable, probably not curable.

I say not curable yet. But it could be in my lifetime.

So, I keep fundraising. I am fortunate. My sister had almost one year from diagnosis to live. My cousin had a reoccurrence during the pandemic, and it wasn’t treated promptly, and it killed her.

We have many other family members who have had cancer and many who have died from it. Our grandmother died from widespread cancer. She blamed what was sprayed in downtown Minneapolis for what happened to her. She was working downtown when I was just a very young child.

My mother blamed our diet on everything, including cancer and diabetes and the diabetes complications she died from.

I have delivered a few of the winning tickets. One in Bemidji as I had to go there anyway. And one to Minneapolis as I had to be in St. Paul for an event. Then I delivered one to a friend right down the road as I had to stop by her house for something else. So, way better than postage and wrapping.

There were no big-ticket items. There were specialty items, however. Native American-made items. Then the friend down the road donated Tupperware. Who doesn’t like Tupperware? And it was a generous amount.

This year we were later than usual, and I wasn’t sure that I was going to participate. I was hoping that the Powwow For Hope would be live, rather than online. Last year we started earlier and Team Carrie made 1,200 dollars. Our goal every year is $500, and this year we made $575.

My niece called to remind me and ask if we were participating in the fundraiser this year. She loves the powwow part and is still interested in fundraising. She has dance regalia and is learning the Ojibwe language in college. The culture is her focus right now.

My niece plans to study agriculture with a focus on indigenous foods.

My mother would love that, and I think it is great too! We met in Bemidji to talk about the Powwow For Hope, and how she and her younger sister are doing. They will both have 2 years of tribal college before graduating from high school, which is so great! Even better is that the credits transfer.

The niece that was involved in the fundraiser donated some items she made. There was a birch bark basket, two pottery items; a planter and a spoon rest, and then glass coasters! I picked them up from her and delivered all the items.

Next year I will have another book ready and maybe some new regalia to wear when I dance. I had a jingle dress that my sister gave me and that I have given to my daughter. The jingle dress is a healing dress.

I am sure that I will continue to participate for the rest of my life in raising money for the American Indian Cancer Foundation. Dancing or not, it is good to be involved in a cause that makes a difference to so many!

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First published in Penny Press on Medium.