MISSION
Serve with care
Provide culturally sensitive and inclusive programs and services that foster friendship, support, and empowerment.
About AFC
Rooted in community. Building toward permanence.
AFC is a board-led community organization restoring a cultural hub for Native individuals and families in the Greater Lansing area.
Our History
Responding to a community need.
Following the closure of the Woodlands American Indian Center in 1999, a vital cultural and community gathering place was lost. The Anishinaabe Friendship Center was created to help restore that hub and renew opportunities for connection, culture, and support.
Today, AFC hosts traditional Indigenous events in Lansing, including Dance by the River Powwow and the Winter Round Dance. These gatherings foster cultural revitalization, strengthen community relationships, and promote wellness.
AFC is guided by a community board and strengthened by volunteers, sponsors, partners, families, and neighbors who share a commitment to a thriving future.
What Guides Us
Community at the center.
Our work grows from relationships, respect, inclusion, and the understanding that lasting programs need a lasting home.
LEADERSHIP
Board-led
Community leadership guides AFC’s priorities, partnerships, events, and long-term organizational development.
VISION
Build for the future
Establish a permanent Friendship Center in Lansing that can serve the community throughout the year.
The Future Center
More room for what comes next.
A permanent home will make it possible to grow stable, consistent opportunities for people of all ages.
Cultural programming
Gatherings, teachings, and opportunities that support cultural connection.
Education
Workshops, learning opportunities, and community knowledge sharing.
Youth engagement
Welcoming spaces for young people to learn, participate, and build relationships.
Community connection
A dependable place for support, partnership, wellness, and friendship.
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