Captivating Rhythm and Versatile Artistry

Feel the drumbeat? Maybe not yet, but you'll definitely hear it and feel it if you are at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel on Saturday, October 13th. TAIKOPROJECT will lead off an exciting evening for a great cause at our 11th Annual Evening of Aloha Gala Dinner. Doors will open at 5 pm, and the dinner will begin at 7 pm.

We will once again kick off the evening's program with a salute to the Nisei Veterans of World War II, followed by a sumptuous dinner planned and prepared by master chefs Roy Yamaguchi and Akira Hirose.

Back by popular demand is multiple Grammy-award winning musician and record company owner Daniel Ho. Ho is a musical force unto himself, as he composes songs in English and Hawaiian that feature his versatility on ukulele, slack key guitar, piano and vocals.

Much, much more is planned – including a moving tribute to the 21 Japanese American Medal of Honor recipients, and a perspective from a retired US Army general on the significance of the Nisei soldiers' contribution to our nation's history.

Please make plans to join us at our largest fundraiser of the year, and support our efforts to make a positive impact in the world by sharing the inspirational story of the Nisei soldiers of World War II.

For dinner patrons who want to make it a get-away weekend, we've arranged a special hotel package at the Westin Bonaventure.

Sponsorship, advertising and ticket information is available on our Evening of Aloha website.

This past June, it was wonderful to see so many Nisei veterans renewing old acquaintances at the Los Angeles Congressional Gold Medal Celebration.

We want to provide another opportunity for them to reminisce and check up on old friends, and to be a part of history by autographing the group photo (above) that was taken at the June 9th event.

We have made special arrangements for all Nisei veterans of World War II to attend our 11th Annual Evening of Aloha Gala Dinner:

• Special price of just $25 for Nisei veterans of WWII to attend the dinner.
• Escort/Attendant: We understand that many Nisei veterans prefer to be escorted, so we've arranged for a reduced price of $175 for a person to accompany them.
• Transportation: We've arranged for van pick-up for veterans/escorts.
• Veterans' Lounge: Nisei veterans/escorts will have a private lounge to sit and talk with old friends.

Visit the Evening of Aloha website at for veteran sponsorship and veteran registration information.

It's never too early to start thinking about stocking stuffers for Christmas.

Through the generosity of a donor, we have a supply of 3" Nisei Soldiers of World War II Congressional Gold Medal bronze replicas available for sale for $39.95, plus shipping and handling. (The US Mint recently decreased the price of the CGM replica from its original $44.95 level.)

If you're shopping for a gift to put under the Christmas tree, we also have a supply of deluxe black velvet presentation cases for $8. Click here for an order form.

In May we announced a new section on our GFBNEC website about planned giving, which covers a broad range of estate planning topics, like how to prepare a will, and how to provide for your loved ones while maximizing the tax benefits of charitable giving.

The Washington News section provides daily updates on topics that affect your finances, such as:

• Proposed tax code changes
• The upcoming federal budget showdown
• How the Supreme Court decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will affect you.

One of the nicest features is the Planned Gifts Calculator that lets you explore giving options in the privacy of your home.

Other recent topics have included:

• How to pick an assisted living residence
• How to review your medical bills
• How identity theft works

"Planned gifts may be large or small," notes Don Nose. "But no matter the size, we know they mean a lot to our supporters, and they mean a lot to us.

"These gifts fund our programs to educate students across our nation about the humble men who rose above prejudice and distrust to serve their country with unparalleled discipline and courage."

To visit the planned giving section of our website: www.gfbgift.org.

Imagine turning your $50 contribution into $100 to support our educational programs. This might be possible if your employer has a matching gifts program.

And for you retirees – don't tune out – many programs support matching gifts for retirees' contributions as well.

Click here for a list of larger corporations with charitable matching gift programs. If your employer is not on the list, check with your Human Resources department to see if there is such a program. If so, it's simple to leverage your contribution: just include the matching gifts form you receive from your HR department with your next gift. We'll take care of the rest of the paperwork.