The Toy Drive Is My Life!

Aloha Everyone! We’ve been on tour in Japan for the last two weeks, so I apologize for the slow updates! Also, there are some bugs between the new website and the postings to Facebook/Twitter/etc, so I apologize for that as well! This one-man tech team is on the case, but let’s get to the updates!

First a shameless plug. Well, it’s not shameless, since I’m plugging our new CD on our own website. As the kids would say, #NoShameNecessary!

Copies of ManoaDNA's 4th US studio album, "Live Aloha" are now available for purchase!
Copies of ManoaDNA’s 4th US studio album, “Live Aloha” are now available for purchase!

Like I mentioned above, we just returned from a 12-day tour of Japan! It was great to go back, since we hadn’t been there in over a year, and we were happy to see a lot of familiar faces and some new ones! Hopefully everyone enjoyed themselves, and we will be able to go back next year! Here is a picture I snapped of the Sapporo city lights as we were walking around the city on our last evening in Japan! BEAUTIFUL!

On a recent trip to Japan, Nick caught a beautiful picture of Sapporo City!
On a recent trip to Japan, Nick caught a beautiful picture of Sapporo City!

Next, we have been hopping on each TV morning show here in town, promoting our upcoming toy drive this Saturday! Wednesday, we were on Wakeup2Day on KHON, yesterday morning was the KITV Morning News, and this morning was Sunrise on Hawaii News Now! I hope all these early mornings will be worth it when we see all the donation results on Saturday!

Nick talks about the upcoming 2013 toy drive on Wakeup2Day on KHON.
Nick talks about the upcoming 2013 toy drive on Wakeup2Day on KHON.

Which brings me to my last plea for the toy drive, and maybe my last plea for the year. For the past two weeks, I have been sending out emails, furiously tweeting, and Facebook blasting our toy drive all over each of you. While you may be tired of hearing about it by now, I remain undeterred and here’s why. The toy drive hits home for me. When I was a kid, I remember waking up Christmas morning, running out to the Christmas tree, and seeing presents waiting for me. It’s a happy feeling I still have today! In 2009, I started this toy drive because I want every kid in Hawai’i to have that feeling; to get up in the morning, see gifts under the tree and (at least for a little while) forget any troubles that may be surrounding them. It’s hard work, and I’m lucky to have such helpful and supportive friends and family, but for me, it’s easy work because I know that I’m helping families.

Anyway, I hope you’ll help out too. If you have already, AWESOME and thank you! If you haven’t and would like to find out how, click on the link in the upper-right hand corner of the page! Hopefully, I will see you all on Saturday at Gordon Biersch, but if not, have a VERY merry Christmas, and stay healthy and safe!

The toys have started to arrive in the store!  Donations are coming in from all over the world!
The toys have started to arrive in the store! Donations are coming in from all over the world!

ALOHA!
Nick