Go For Broke National Education Center will host the 24th annual Evening of Aloha Gala on Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, 404 S. Figueroa St. in Downtown Los Angeles.
Registration and silent auction at 4 p.m.; dinner and program at 6 p.m.
The annual hallmark community event will serve as both celebration and call to action — honoring the 33,000 Japanese American men and women who served during World War II to protect the freedoms and liberties of all Americans.
“The legacy of the Nisei soldiers who fought on foreign battlefields to defend constitutional principles, despite many of their own families being denied the same rights, is the inspiration our nation so desperately needs now,” said Dr. Mitchell T. Maki, GFBNEC president and CEO. “We gather not just to celebrate their valor, but to share the Nisei WWII story as an important American story embodying the values that are the foundation of our common ground as Americans.”
David Ono, ABC7 news anchor and GFBNEC Board of Directors member, will emcee the evening, featuring testimonies connecting the veterans’ legacy to today’s civil rights challenges. Traditional gala elements — including the Soldier’s Memorial Table, on-stage Nisei veteran recognition, “In Memoriam” acknowledgments, and the sixth annual Living Nisei WWII Veteran Photo Tribute — will take on added poignancy against the backdrop of current events.
Another signature feature of the gala is the specially prepared menu by Chef Roy Yamaguchi, founder and owner of Roy’s Restaurants Worldwide and GFBNEC Board of Directors member, and Chef Andreas Nieto and the Westin Bonaventure Hotel culinary team. Long-time supporter King’s Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant provides a unique dessert created by Pastry Chef Heather Campbell.
The program will also include performances by National Heritage Fellow June Kuramoto, “Hamilton” national tour lead actress Kendyl Sayuri Yokoyama, singer Lauren Kinkade-Wong, hip-hop artist Kaze Jones, and Hālau Hula Keali’i o Nālani.
The Evening of Aloha Gala is GFBNEC’s primary annual fundraiser and marks the yearly launch of the “Fund the Future” campaign. As federal directives threaten to sanitize historical narratives such as the WWII Japanese American incarceration, and immigration enforcement operations echo tactics used against Japanese Americans 83 years ago, GFBNEC stands with both moral authority and lived experience to speak truth to power.
Contributions will support expanded national outreach and GFBNEC’s new programming in its permanent home in the new Go For Broke Plaza — ensuring it can serve as a sanctuary for difficult truths.
“We cannot allow the voices of our veterans to be silenced,” Maki stated. “Every dollar raised supports not just our programming, but the fundamental right to remember and learn from our past.”
Tickets and donations: goforbroke.org/eveningofaloha/
For more information, email development@goforbroke.org or call (310) 328-0907.
2025 Evening of Aloha Gala major sponsors include: Ruby Sponsor – U.S. Bank; Emerald Sponsors – MUFG Bank, Bill & Christy Seki and Dennis & Lorraine Kimura, Rick & Patee Shinto and family, Sugimoto Family Foundation; Platinum Sponsors – Central Pacific Bank, King’s Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant, Nikki Kodama & family, Yoshio C. Nakamura family, The Pacific Bridge Companies, Joyce Yamane & Stephen Waite in memory of Kazuo & Mary Yamane; Gold Sponsors – Seki, Nishimura & Watase PLC, Scott & Susan Takahashi.