2009 COMMUNITY DIRECTORY
The 2009 Oakland East Bay Community Directory is now out! This annual Wa Sung publication contains tons of info about the Club; it also has a "reverse directory" of the merchants and businesseses in the core area of Oakland Chinatown, as well as listings of area organizations, clubs, churches, and social agencies. It is distributed free to the public. Businesses are welcome to advertise in the Directory.

WA SUNG CHARITY GOLF
The Third Annual Charity Golf Tournament has been scheduled for August 12 at the Chuck Corica Golf Course in Alameda. Proceeds will benefit the Wa Sung merit scholarships fund. Click here to sign up.

7/11	Annual Picnic Middle Harbor Park Oakland
8/6 6 PM	General Meeting Otaez Mexican Rest. 1619 Webster St Alameda
8/12	Wa Sung Third Charity Golf Tournament Chuck Corica Golf Course Alameda
9/18	Oakland's A's Pyrotechnics Night Oakland Coliseum
10/11	"A Toast to Tapas" fall fundraiser The Englander 101 Parrott St San Leandro

President Cynthia Lim's Message

Wa Sung is celebrating its 56th birthday in 2009. It is an honor and a privilege that I again serve as your President. Wa Sung has for many years served the Oakland community with distinction. Wa Sung has been awarding Merit Scholarships to deserving High School Seniors and awarding Educational Grants to teachers in support of their efforts to improve the educational experiences of their students. In hosting the Annual Easter Pancake Breakfasts, we strive to involve the community, as well as improve communication between the elderly and youth as they actively participate in this city-wide event. This year will be the 53rd year the Club will host this event and we invite the community to share in our annual event. Finally, we can all look with pride at the Lincoln Square Junk Boat as a gleaming example of what the Club can do when it partners with other organizations, government and the community to help improve and provide an area for creative play in a unique and cultural identity. Many thanks to all the members who made this astonishing list of accomplishments happen. [more]

Merit Award Scholarships

The Wa Sung Community Service Club began awarding scholarships in 1957 to outstanding students of Asian descent graduating from high schools in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The scholarships are funded from the Perpetual Scholarship Fund, fundraising events, the the generous donations from individuals. The continuing support from the donors, Wa Sung members, and Friends of Wa Sung make these scholarships possible every year.

In 2009, 13 students each received a $1000 scholarship. They were selected among 42 applicants from 20 different high schools in the East Bay. Click here to read the full report.

Easter Pancake Breakfast

For the past 53 years, the Wa Sung Easter Pancake Breakfast has been a place where many in the Chinese community had their first "American breakfast" (50¢ then, $3 now) of pancakes, sausages, juice, coffee and tea. It was a gathering place for American-born and overseas Chinese families and the community. There was also entertainment, Easter egg hunt, arts and crafts for kids, raffle prizes, information booths by sponsors and community agencies, and the Easter bunny passing out treats to the children. It is a perfect family day to enjoy the comming of spring!

Mission Statement

Fostering understanding among all people of our community;
Encouraging the recognition and preservation of the ethnic and cultural diversity of our community;
Seeking to establish a community in which every person is encouraged to reach his or her highest potential;
Assisting the Oakland – East Bay to become a community in which all residents work together in a climate of creative cooperation and peace.

Wa Sung Junk Boat

at Lincoln Square

The story of our Junk Boat starts with a trans-Pacific voyage made by an oceangoing junk called the Free China which sailed from Formosa to San Francisco in 1960. In 1961, Dr. Joshua Fong wrote to the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco asking if the consul might know how the Wa Sung Service Club could obtain a junk boat similar to the Free China. The boat would be displayed in a partk in Oakland -- perhaps even at a Chinese wharf in Lake Merritt as "a symbol of the determination and spirit of Free China and its people."

This idea evolved, an over the next few years, with the collaboration of the Oakland Parks and Recreation Department, a Junk Boat play structue was designed for Lincoln Park. Wa Sung raised over $15,000 to help huild the boat, and on Sunday, March 23, 1969 at 3:30 p.m., it was dedicated with a ceremony including fireworks and followed by a Chinese gourmet dinner at the Marco Polo Restaurant in Jack London Square. [more]