JANM’S 2013 GALA DINNER THEME ‘VISION, VALUES, VOICES’ TO REMEMBER, REFLECT, AND CELEBRATE THE JAPANESE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE ON APR. 13

Los Angeles, CA - The Japanese American National Museum will welcome close to 1,000 attendees at its 2013 Gala Dinner, Silent Auction & After-Party on Saturday, April 13, 2013. Returning to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, the Dinner theme, Vision, Values, Voices, will highlight how the National Museum has successfully shared the significance and relevancy of the Japanese American experience to hundreds of thousands of onsite and online visitors each year. Additionally, the National Museum will acknowledge its early supporters—George Aratani, Jim Hirabayashi, Manabi Hirasaki, and Senator Daniel K. Inouye—all of whom were pivotal in the creation of the mission and vision of the Museum. Individual tickets are still available along with Lexus Opportunity Drawing tickets. Lexus tickets must be received at the Museum by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 12, or can be purchased at the Gala.

The National Museum’s Gala Dinners have come to be recognized as a special gathering for its members, donors, partners, and community leaders who share the commitment to its mission—to promote a better understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity through the Japanese American experience. The Dinner program will include specific highlights on how the evolving Japanese American story has inspired and transformed lives as told through the voices of Museum staff, volunteers, leadership, and others such as the Honorable Norman Y. Mineta, former Secretary of Transportation & Commerce and Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Governors. Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, State of Hawai`i, and Irene Hirano Inouye, President of the US-Japan Council and former President & CEO of JANM, will also be featured as speakers in conjunction with the Bid for Education program.

At 5:00 p.m., the Silent Auction with over 300 items and the Seafood Buffet hosted by American Fish & Seafood will open to all guests. Tickets for the Lexus Opportunity Drawing, sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., will be sold during the Silent Auction through the start of the Dinner program. Master of Ceremonies, Frank Buckley, KTLA-TV Co-Anchor, will begin the Dinner program at 7:00 p.m. The program includes the Lexus Opportunity Drawing and the live Bid for Education, which this year pays special tribute to U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye whose commitment to the principles and values of democracy influenced the formation of the National Museum’s vision and educational programs. The Museum’s Board of Trustees has made a lead gift in honor of Senator Inouye for his Bid for Education program. Additional gifts can be directed toward the Museum by contacting the Development Department at 213.625.0414.

As the Museum’s largest single annual fundraiser, all proceeds from the Dinner provide much-needed funds for the Museum’s on-going educational programming, outreach, and operational needs. Major sponsors for the Dinner are: Signature Sponsors Dr. Paul I. and Hisako Terasaki and Union Bank/Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.; Presenting Sponsors Aratani Foundation, Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc., and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.; Diamond Sponsors American Airlines, Boeing, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and Guy & Audrey Watanabe; Emerald Sponsors American Fish & Seafood Co. and Wells Fargo; Bid for Education Leaders Sempra Energy and Edison International. Additional support has been provided by: Journal Sponsor American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; Gift and After-Party Sponsor Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.; and VIP Reception Co-Hosts American Fish & Seafood Co. and Ernst & Young LLP.

The Dinner Committee is led by Co-Chairs: Ernest Y. Doizaki, National Museum Board of Trustee and President, American Fish & Seafood Co.; Gene S. Kanamori, National Museum Governor and Director of Human Resources, Keiro Retirement Services; and Tammie Kanda, Director of Special Events & Programs, Corporate Communications Department, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.

For more information on the 2013 Annual Gala Dinner, visit janm.org/dinner2013, or contact via e-mail at galadinner@janm.org, or by phone at 213.624-0414.