Go For Broke National Education Center will host the 25th annual Evening of Aloha Gala Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in Downtown Los Angeles.
Registration and silent auction at 4 p.m.; dinner and program at 6 p.m.
The hallmark community event will serve as both a celebration and call to action — honoring the 33,000 Nisei men and women who served during World War II while inspiring all Americans to protect the freedoms and liberties the Nisei soldiers fought for on the war front and at home.
Over the past three decades, GFBNEC has diligently preserved the first-person voices of the World War II Nisei soldiers and shared their legacy across the nation with those largely unfamiliar with this remarkable chapter in U.S. history. The Evening of Aloha Gala provides an opportunity to acknowledge the organization’s founding Nisei veterans’ vision to ensure that their courage, service, and sacrifice is remembered as an important American story with continued relevance to today’s social dynamics.
The gala is anticipated to again draw over 500 guests consisting of Nisei veterans and their descendants, GFBNEC leadership and supporters, and community and business leaders. The evening will feature veterans’ voices from the Hanashi Oral History Collection, along with traditional gala elements such as the Soldier’s Memorial Table, Nisei Veteran Roll Call, “In Memoriam” listing, and the seventh annual Living Nisei World War II Veteran Photo Tribute.
The program will highlight not only the impact of the organization’s work since its inception but also present the new chapter GFBNEC is embarking on with the completion of the Go For Broke Plaza in early 2027. This development will provide 248 affordable housing units, retail space, and a 10,000-squarefoot permanent home for GFBNEC’s expanded programming and initiatives.
“I am especially excited about this year’s gala as it marks an exciting, pivotal moment for our organization, the Nisei veterans and their families, and our community,” said Dr. Mitch Maki, president and CEO of GFB-NEC. “The completion of the Go For Broke Plaza not only helps fulfill the founding veterans’ dream of a permanent education center, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring this incredible American story to a much broader scale.
“It is an honor to be able to significantly expand our work educating and sharing their legacy with audiences from across the nation, in particular as our nation remains challenged by current issues surrounding civil liberties, social justice, and equality.”
The Evening of Aloha Gala is GFBNEC’s primary annual fundraiser and marks the yearly launch of the “Fund the Future” campaign. With continued threats to the accessibility to the full Japanese American World War II experience, GFBNEC’s work to preserve and share these narratives has never been more urgent.
Gala sponsorships, tickets, and “Fund the Future” donations can be made by visiting goforbroke.org/eveningofaloha.