Everyone Needs a Little Luau in their Life!

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, which provides tuition, financial and emergency assistance to military in need, is run by just one full timer and a volunteer workforce of more than 70. The organization not only helps its own but provides charity afar--sending shipments of clothes to orphanages and refugees from Africa to Afghanistan!

So the staff thought it'd be cool to throw a little luau in Sicily to thank people who care enough to work for free for a worthwhile cause.



Volunteers Annise, Kelley, Mary, Robin and me took charge of production -- cutting down palms, shopping for table coverings, designing invitations....Rob and I championed lomi lomi salmon making and chicken long rice slinging!



And friends in Hawaii Suzanne Meisenzahl, Gina Baurile, Janet Hyrne, my mom and dad, as well as Hawaiian at heart Lisa Nabb in Palm Springs, sent gifts of aloha for prizes and drawings! Now is that the aloha spirit or what?!



Since most don't know much about Hawaii's beyond it's shoreline, here were some of the trivia questions I came up with to spark interest in Hawaii's history and culture!

What famous Hawaiian Surfer is a 3-time Olympic gold medalist for swimming?

True or False? During WWII following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the 442nd combat team was formed in which the Army sought 1500 Japanese volunteers from Hawaii despite the fact that most American Japanese were placed in internment camps on the U.S. Mainland. More than 10,000 Hawaii Japanese volunteered! The Battalion went on to become the most decorated for its size in WWII and in U.S. history.

Name 3 tv shows filmed in Hawaii.

True or False? Aloha means hello, goodbye, and the spirit in me honors the spirit in you.

True or False? The 18-mile long Niihau is the only privately owned Hawaiian island where 600 Polynesians live and speak Hawaiian They have no electricity, running water, liquor or firearms. There is no jail, nor are there police officers and just 1 arbitrator to resolve disputes.

True or False? The last Hawaiian Queen Liluokalani had her prison sentence of 5 years hard labor for having firearms buried at Iolani Palace (the only royal palace on U.S. soil) commuted to imprisonment in an upstairs bedroom.

Name the NFL football game held every year in Hawaii?