.jpg)
photo by Carol Berry
July 30, 2009 was proclaimed by City of Denver Mayor John W. Hickenlooper to be Phyllis Big Pond day. This is the highest honor bestowed to one of the most graceful and generous Native American individual in the City of Denver history. Phyllis is a member of Yuchi (Euchee) Tribe of Oklahoma. She founded the Denver Indian Family Resource Center (DIFRC) to serve the child welfare needs of Metro Denver Native American Community in 2000. She has over 40 years of experience working in human service programs in Native American communities both on and off reservations. DIFRC has programs that are in partnership with other Denver Native American organization and the Annie E. Casey Family Programs. Phyllis is well known for her strength in collaboration with other agencies providing Native American community services. She served on various commissions including Denver American Indian Commission, Healthy People 2010 Executive Committee/Dept. of Environmental Health’s, and the Mayor’s Early Childhood Education Commission/Mayor’s Office of Education and Children for City of Denver.
Phyllis was honored on January 27, 2009 for her work at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Business Social Responsibility Awards luncheon where Mayor Hickenlooper and Welma Webb, wife of former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb. She was the first Native American to receive this award. She also has received awards that include the Outstanding Native American Leader from the Association of American Indian Social Work, Distinguished Alumni award from the Washington University’s George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Sewanee Hunt Leadership Award from the Denver Foundation, and the 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award from Metropolitan State College of Denver.
View the proclamation here www.denvergov.org/Portals/635/documents/Phyllis%20BigPond%20Proclamation%20Final.pdf
Comments