PETOSKEY – The Healing Oncology Partnerships for Equity (HOPE) initiative is proud to announce an upcoming Listening Session on Monday, August 25 and Tuesday, August 26 at the Odawa Hotel in Petoskey, Michigan. This event is dedicated to uplifting the voices of the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians community members to address disparities in cancer care for Native Americans living in rural areas across Northern Michigan. This event symbolizes the power of a single voice in creating change in Tribal, State and National health systems to create support for Native Americans and their family members who are enduring a journey with cancer.
Rooted in respect, partnership, and shared knowledge, the HOPE Listening Sessions will center Indigenous voices and lived experiences of cancer patients, their family members, and caregivers of individuals on the journey of a cancer diagnosis. We also want to include the voices of family members who have lost a loved one to cancer. Your voices will guide future strategies that will improve access to timely, culturally centered cancer care. By listening deeply, the HOPE staff from the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan aims to understand the barriers and with you, co-develop solutions that resonate within the needs of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians community.
“Just as a single stone causes ripples across an entire pond, one voice — one story — can influence policies, programs, and practices that reach far beyond the moment it’s shared,” said Dr. Frank Animikwam of the HOPE Initiative. “Our mission is to honor those voices and ensure they shape the future of cancer care in tribal communities.”
You can register yourself or your family members for this event taking place on Monday, August 25 and Tuesday, August 26 from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm in the Michigan/Huron Room at the Odawa Hotel by calling Kiana Wood, 231-268-1307, or e-mailing her at kwood@itcmi.org . Cancer survivors, caregivers, and health system staff attending this event will receive a gas-card to support transportation costs
Event Details
Event Name: HOPE Listening Session for the Little Traverse Bay Band
Date: Wednesday, August 25 and Tuesday August 26, 2025
Location: Odawa Hotel 1444 US-131 South, Petoskey, MI 49770
Time: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
RSVP/Registration: Kiana Wood, 231-268-1307
The Listening Session will include guided conversations with patient and family caregivers’ tribal elders, community health representatives, . Insights from this session will inform future policies, outreach, and services, ensuring they are community-driven and equity-focused.
This community listening session is hosted by the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Health System and is part of a larger collaborative project with Corewell Health, with funding from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (EACB,34437). The HOPE project is not research; it is specifically designed to communicate cultural, spiritual and cancer care needs of our communities. This event has the power to motivate health systems to change their practices and promote future research in areas where care methods do not support our rural tribal communities.
The hosting organizations are committed to building long-term partnerships with tribal nations to support healing, hope, and health. The Listening Session is just one of many steps toward reducing the cancer burden and improving health outcomes in rural and underserved Indigenous communities.
