Midwest Airlines’ Gift of Travel helps Continue the Journey...

Through the generous support of Midwest Airlines, the memory of our nation's service men and women, and their commitment to duty, honor and country, live on through the Scholarship of Honor Program established by the Brian LaViolette Foundation.

This new year marks a milestone in the history of Brian's Foundation. With scholarships now being award in 10 states and 2 countries. As much as our family and board members would like to attend every scholarship presentation, the cost to do so would not allow us. But with the kindness of Greg Aretakis, of Midwest Airlines, we've been fortunate to participate and share in some of the scholarship presentations that take place coast to coast.

Thanks to Midwest Airlines our message will continue to thrive by those scholarship recipients who share a passion for community service and love of country. Their message of ’’The Best Care In The Air'' certainly holds true in our mind!

Photo: Kim LaViolette presenting Greg Artakis one of the Foundation's Scholarship of Honor Medals at the 2007 Medal of Honor Convention in Green Bay, WI.

Foundation mentioned in the latest Sports Illustrated!

Walter Iooss Jr./SI


Sue LeTourneau, a member of our Foundation Board and also our family, has been a HUGE Packers fan her entire life, but after we started the Foundation, she began to tailgate for a reason. Brats for Brian has been a staple in the Lambeau Field parking lot every home game for years. With the help of many others and Nueske meats, Packers fans and opposing team fans (yes, even Viking fans) have walked away satisfied and touched by the story of Brian’s Foundation. A few weeks ago, Sue was approached by Sports Illustrated and later interviewed for an article they were having on Brett.

(Page 5 of 10)...But he does much more than just raise money and inspire others from afar. At a fund-raiser for Green Bay's Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation, Favre came on stage to play drums with the house band. "When that happened, a bunch of us old ladies in the crowd started screaming," says Sue LeTourneau, who helps run the scholarship program named for her late nephew, who died in a swimming accident.

(Page 10 of 10) Sue LeTourneau of the Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation: "On his 30th birthday, I held up a sign in the stands here at Lambeau. When he ran onto the field, he looked at me and gave a thumbs-up. Oh, my God, I thought I was going to die right then and there!"

To see the entire story, please visit: Sports Illustrated- December 10, 2007

Nainoa Hoe Scholarship of Honor

Kalihi student receives first-ever Nainoa Hoe scholarship

Photo by Malcolm Onuma

(Left to Right)Justin Sambueno, Ohelo Kaopio, and Allen Hoe flank a portrait of 1st LT Nainoa Hoe at the Army's Battle Command Training Center which is named in honor of him

August 7th, 2007

http://www.myadvertiser.com/

Story submitted by Randy Obata

The Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation has selected 2007 Damien High School graduate Justin Sambueno of Kalihi as the first recipient of a $1,000 college scholarship that is being awarded in the name of Army 1st Lieutenant Nainoa Hoe of Kailua who died January 22, 2005 while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Hoe’s father, Allen Hoe, and Army COL Matthew Margotta, Garrison Commander of Schofield Barracks, presented the scholarship today to Sambueno during a ceremony at the 1st Lieutenant Nainoa Hoe Battle Command Training Center at Schofield.

Hoe, 27, was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division based at Fort Lewis, Washington. He commanded a platoon while serving in Iraq—a command that fulfilled a life-long dream. He was with the platoon as it was patrolling Mosul on January 22, 2005, urging Iraqi citizens to vote in upcoming elections and searching for insurgents, when he was attacked by enemy forces using small-arms fire.

“Community service is just as important as education because it encourages people to help their community which can create better environments for people to learn and then they may branch out and help other communities until it becomes contagious, in a healthy way,” says Sambueno. “In the future, I hope to help people live better lives and create healthier communities by any way possible such as creating charities, donating to charities, or producing something of great help to society.”

The $1,000 scholarship, endowed by Waimanalo businessman Ohelo Kaopio, is being awarded to Sambueno through the Wisconsin-based Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation which has awarded hundreds of scholarships, in honor of fallen war heroes, since 1992 to students across the United States and around the world who are interested in pursuing military and public service. Kaopio last year also endowed a LaViolette scholarship in honor of the 27 Kaneohe Marines who died in a helicopter crash in Iraq the week after Hoe was killed.

Medal of Honor Convention was a success...thank you!!

Thank you to everyone that helped make the 2007 Medal of Honor Convention a success. 62 of the 109 living Medal of Honor Recipients were our guests in Green Bay from September 3-10th. They all arrived and departed safely and we had wonderful feedback from all the Recipients, their families, and other guests who were able to be a part of our community for a short time. They could not say enough about the hospitality of Green Bay...thanks to hundreds of volunteers and donors, they will have great memories of our city. The Recipients are not the only ones that have great memories-our local students and others in the community were able to share in the week.

Newspaper accounts of convention activities are available here.

South African Scholarship of Honor Presented

Our first International Scholarship of Honor in South Africa was presented on July 20th at the LEAP Science and Maths School! Principal, Tuksie Nkwinti (right) presented this honor to Thandisile Mfengu (middle) and we were told the students applauded with so much pride. John Gilmour (left) is the director of LEAP. To learn more about LEAP Science and Maths School, please visit: http://www.leapschool.org.za/about.q

This scholarship is sponsored by one of Kim's elementary teachers, Paul and Gloria Zimmerman.