Kizuna Announces 5th Annual Family Showdown Event

GARDENA — Kizuna announced that its fifth annual Family Showdown event is set for Saturday, Sept. 24, from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at Gardena Valley Baptist Church, 1630 W. 158th St. in Gardena.

Just like in previous years, this multi-generational fundraising event will bring together families, friends and community for a night of games, food and friendly competition.

The Family Showdown, one of Kizuna’s major fundraising programs in 2016, will feature a host of games where teams will compete for the title of Family Showdown Champion. Last year’s games included a wasabi musubi eating contest, a musical chairs competition, a newspaper tower contest, a round of bingo, and an ultimate jan-ken-pon contest.

Community members are invited to put together teams of family members and friends to compete in the various challenges throughout the evening. Kizuna also encourages teams to coordinate their outfits to show team spirit during the event.

“Participants had a lot of fun cheering on their teams in really entertaining games and contests. We’re excited for more new games this year and we hope that everyone comes ready to have a great time with a bit of friendly competition,” said Craig Ishii, Kizuna executive director. “Most importantly, participants will have a chance to learn more about Kizuna and the work that we’re doing to build a future for the Japanese American community. We hope to be able to spread the word about our programs for elementary school students all the way through young adults.”

Sponsorships are now available at these levels: MVP ($5,000), Champion ($2,500), All-Star ($1,000), Family ($500), and Community ($500, for nonprofit organizations). General registration for the event is currently open.

For more information, visit the event webpage at www.kizuna-la.org/support/family-showdown or contact Ishii at (213) 973-4465 or craig@kizuna-la.org.