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THE GO FOR BROKE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION'S "EVENING OF ALOHA" WAS AN EVENING OF SUCCESS

Featured here is (L to R) Christine Sato-Yamazaki, executive director, Go For Broke Educational Foundation; Charlie Cindric, region vice president, Anheuser-Busch, Inc.; and Manabi Hirasaki, co-chairman, Go For Broke Educational Foundation

Torrance, Calif. (November 24, 2003) -- On Saturday, November 8, 2003 the Hyatt Regency Long Beach’s Regency Ballroom was transformed into a small Hawaiian island - filled with Hawaiian-inspired silent auction items, nearly 700 guests dressed in island attire and entertainment and chefs flown straight from Oahu. The Go For Broke Educational Foundation’s Evening of Aloha gala dinner, sponsored by Michelob, was a huge success, as attendees came from all over to partake in a sumptuous meal prepared by chefs Roy Yamaguchi of Roy’s restaurants and Hiroshi Fukui of L’Uraku of Honolulu. Attendees, especially WWII Japanese American veterans were heard saying their meal was the best ever served at any large-scale gala dinner.

Mistress of Ceremonies 1997 Miss Universe Brook Mahealani Lee kept guests entertained throughout the evening with her wit, beautiful smile and aloha spirit. Additionally, guests were treated to a special hula performance by award-winning hula group Keali’i O Nalani.

The highlight of the night was the phenomenal performance by 27-year-old ukulele master, Jake Shimabukuro. On the tiny four-string, two-octave guitar, Shimabukuro danced and played only pausing for brief moments keeping the audience captivated through original tunes and recognizable songs such as Paul Simon’s “Mrs. Robinson” and Burt Bacharach’s “Close To You.”

“Evening of Aloha 2003 was a tremendous success thanks to our title sponsor for the second year, Michelob, our other corporate sponsors as well as by the excellent dinner committee, led by chairperson Marcella Low of The Gas Company, Educational Foundation staff and the 80-plus volunteers who helped throughout the night,” stated Christine Sato-Yamazaki, executive director/president, Go For Broke Educational Foundation.

The Go For Broke Educational Foundation’s Evening of Aloha 2003 would like to thank the sponsors whose support ensured the gala dinner’s success. The Title Sponsor Michelob, in addition to its financial support, provided complimentary sampling of Michelob to guests all night. "We are pleased to be a lead sponsor for Go For Broke Education Foundation Annual Gala Dinner," said Charlie Cindric, region vice president, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "We are very proud to support an organization that educates Americans by teaching the history of Japanese American soldiers in World War II and the Japanese American incarceration. I would also like to congratulate the Educational Foundation’s marvelous staff members and others for making Evening of Aloha a wonderful success."

Other sponsors included: Medal of Honor: Manabi and Sumi Hirasaki and KSCI-TV Channel 18; Distinguished Service Cross Sponsors: American Airlines API-ERG, American Honda Motor Co, Hawaiian Airlines, Holiday Inn Torrance, King’s Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant, Nissan North America Inc, Paradise Restaurant, Union Bank of California; Silver Star Sponsors: George and Sakaye Aratani, Tets and Dorothy Asato, Fukui Mortuary Inc, The Gas Company, Kenneth M. Kamiya Insurance, Taro Uchizono/Craig Uchizono & families, UPS; Bronze Star Sponsors: AHTKY Insurance Agency, Always Dream Foundation, Sam & Teri Fujikawa, Green Hills Memorial Park, Hawaiian Host Candies of L.A., JACL Health Benefits Trust, Helen Kawagoe, The Pacific Bridge Companies, Minami, Lew & Tamaki LLP, Dale Minami & Brad Yamauchi and California State Assemblymember George Nakano.

Proceeds raised from Evening of Aloha will go to ensure the legacy of the Japanese American WWII veterans are preserved and educated through the Go For Broke Educational Foundation’s educational programs.

The Go For Broke Educational Foundation institutes educational programs focused on the heroism and history of the Japanese American soldiers of World War II, as well as the forced evacuation and incarceration of Japanese Americans on the West Coast and the civil liberties issues raised by those events. Currently the Educational Foundation’s programs include An American Story Teacher Training Program, Hanashi Oral History Program, educational Web site, and select media projects, including the “A Tradition of Honor” documentary. For more information, go to www.GoForBroke.org.

In 1989 Japanese American World War II veterans established the 100th/442nd/MIS WWII Memorial Foundation (the parent organization of the Go For Broke Educational Foundation) to build the Go For Broke Monument, which today is an eternal tribute to the heroics of the segregated Japanese American units: 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, MIS (Military Intelligence Service) and the many other men and women that served overseas during World War II. The Monument, which lists the names of 16,126 Nisei soldiers, is located in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles at Temple and Alameda streets.

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