The grand opening of the Yukio Okutsu Veterans Home — Hawai'i's first state veterans home — is set for noon today in Hilo. The 95-bed nursing home with adult day health services is the fourth facility for the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation in the East Hawaii region. Avalon Health Care, Inc. has been contracted to manage the home at 1180 Waianuenue Ave.

Gov. Linda Lingle will accompany state Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Robert Lee of the Hawaii National Guard in presenting the U.S. Army Medal of Honor Flag. The presentation honors Technical Sergeant Yukio Okutsu of Company F, 442d Regimental Combat Team, for his courage in combat on Mount Belvedere, Italy, on April 7, 1945. Accepting the flag will be Okutsu's widow, Elaine Okutsu.

DONATIONS TO AID DEPARTING SOLDIERS

The Hawaii Society of Volunteers is organizing a holiday season donation drive to assist the 4,000 Schofield soldiers being deployed shortly after Thanksgiving,

The group is collecting travel size toiletries in quantities of 20 including: mouthwash, soap bars, wet wipes, gum, lip balm. Donations of any other items are welcome.

Donations can be dropped off Nov. 21 at Monterey Bay Canners Restaurant at Pearlridge between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Hawaii Society of Volunteer associates and spouses of the deploying soldiers will be on hand to collect donations.

On Thanksgiving Day, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the group will visit and serve meals to soldiers in the mess hall at Schofield Barracks.

RSVP: jmwedemeyer@msn.com or call 256-3014.

The newly formed Hawaii Society of Volunteers is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support to charitable organizations through volunteerism. Each month, HSV associates work in partnership with a different charity in an effort to promote community awareness of the cause.

MILITARY HOMES MANAGER HONORED

Forest City Military Communities Hawaii has received two national awards for its public-private housing partnership with the Department of the Navy, Hawaii — the Navy Installation Housing Team of the Year award from the Professional Housing Management Association and a Project of the Year merit award from Multifamily Executive.

The Navy award is given annually to the installation team — defined as having both federal and contractor or partner groups — that can demonstrate collective achievements in providing an outstanding living environment for military members and their families. For the second year in a row, Forest City Military Communities Hawaii and Navy Region Hawaii have shared this award.

The 2007 Multifamily Executive Awards are presented to over 30 groups and/or individuals to recognize excellent projects and programs across 17 categories. Forest City received the Project of the Year merit award for its Ohana Military Communities project on O'ahu.

Forest City Military Communities in Hawaii is now managing over 6,500 homes for Navy and Marine families. A majority of the homes will be demolished and built anew, resulting in a development budget exceeding $1.8 billion. Additional information is available online at www.forestcity.net.