Thank you again for an amazing 21st Annual NAYA Gala and Auction – it was a wonderful night to Reclaim our Past and Cultivate our Future.

The evening was filled with joyful reunions, great friends, wonderful conversations, delicious food and drink, and beautiful Native art–we could not have asked for more!

You can relive the excitement by viewing the 2024 Gala photo gallery here

We celebrated with a beautiful blessing from Oregon State Representative and NAYA Director of Family Services Tawna Sanchez (Shoshone-Bannock/Ute), powerful remarks from NAYA CEO Oscar Arana (Chichimeca), and incredible storytelling by 2014 Early College Academy graduate Lakota Raven BearsGhost Couturier (Mandan, Arikara, Hidatsa from the Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold; Assiniboine Sioux, Nez Perce).

We also enjoyed electric performances by VMA award-winning artists Doc Native (Seminole) and Spencer Battiest (Seminole), alongside dancers Davineekaht White Elk (Blackfoot, Ute, Carrizo), Keeli Littleleaf (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and a Descendant of the Piikani Nation Blackfoot from Brockette, Canada), and Kenneth Shirley (Navajo)! MC and NAYA Board Member Zeke Smith (Osage) and long-time NAYA Auctioneer Johnna Wells brought the evening home—making this another record-breaking year!

We did it! With your help, we surpassed our fundraising goal, raising more than $800,000 for NAYA’s wraparound services that impact the lives of more than 10,000 people annually.

As the evening concluded, we left the Portland Art Museum with our hearts full–energized to continue serving our community with the love and support you gave us that beautiful evening!

Together we continue to provide the educational, housing, family support, and economic development services that our community needs. With your help, we are moving our community towards self-determination and prosperity. Thank you again for joining us to celebrate 50 years of impact for Native youth and families.

Founded by parent and elder volunteers in 1974, our history is one of great vision, hopes, and dreams for our community. Gaining our 501(c)(3) status in 1994, we expanded our programming and services to better serve our community’s needs.

Reclaiming our past, Cultivating our future.

2024 marks NAYA’s 50th Anniversary! We invite you to be a part of our story as we look back to inform our future and celebrate where we are today. NAYA has audacious goals for our region’s Native American community, providing culturally specific services and a lifetime continuum of programs serving everyone from infants to elders. We are a family of multiple tribes and individuals who are rooted in sustaining tradition, coming together in reclamation, revitalization, and self-determined prosperity.

NAYA, like the community we are proud to serve, is Youth Centered, Family Driven, and Elder Guided.