"A Toast to Tapas"
by Jeanne Pong
On Sunday, November 2nd, 2008, the Wa Sung Community Service Club celebrated its 55th year of service by hosting the first annual "A Toast to Tapas" event. Our major sponsor was Aroma Restaurant and Bar, owned by Raymond Tang who graciously donated the restaurant space and patio area to our charity fundraiser.
This event was a 'mega-sized' cocktail party. For those unfamiliar with the origin of tapas, this is a very popular 
cuisine style in Spain where small varieties of appetizers are served on small plates along with fine wines, often in some restaurants a large variety of tapas would be ordered to assemble a complete meal.
Guests to our fundraiser sampled fine wines, sake, and beers from microbreweries, appetizers and fine foods from local greater restaurants, caterers and bakeries.
Along with the great atmosphere of friends, families, and supporters of this great event, wonderful music was exhibited by Jazz Sojah's which contributed to our festive afternoon. Many supporters had a wonderful time getting reacquainted with familiar faces and introducing new first-time supporters to our fundraiser.
We enjoyed visiting with life members: Victor Mar, Walter Chinn, Ron Hing, Arnold Mew, plus honorary member Lena Fong.
Many thanks to the many volunteers that work tirelessly to complete the many tasks involved from managing the ticket sales, to advertising, soliciting sponsors, the silent auction, and even the raffles prizes all under the stellar leadership of event co-chairs David Won, Arnold Mew and Becky Wong.
The Wa Sung Service Club fundraiser supports charitable programs like:
- Scholarships
- Educational/Charity grants
- American Cancer Society
- community projects
We would like to thank the contributors and donations from Friends of Wa Sung and supporters. Please patronize their businesses and companies listed:
| Major sponsors: | Fine Foods: | Fine Wine: |
|---|---|---|
| Aroma Restaurant and Bar | The Englander Sports Pub | F & B Cellars |
| Wells Fargo | EDS Wrap & Roll Foods | Regal Wine |
| Semi Freddi's Bread | Wine Warehouse | |
| Sponsors: | Young's Market | Bogle Vineyards |
| American California Bank | Kips Restaurant & Bar | Blue Moon Brewing Co. (Miller/Coors) |
| Pete's ACE Hardware | David Milichichi | Takara Sake USA, Inc. |
| Trader Joe's | Vinum Cellars | |
| Noah's Bagel |
Friends of Wa Sung:
- Asian Network
- Alice Chin
- Evergreen Eldercare
- Arnold & Helena Mew
- Anthony Pascarello
- Laura Yee
- Clayton Soo Hoo
- Nancy Chang
- Mal Dong
- Walton R. Lee
- Esther Fong-Maynard
- Sandra Pike
- Ron & Barbara Hing
- Christopher Yahng
- AiRung Liu
- Clifton & Marion Fong
- Theresa Gee
Note: Plans for the 2009 -toast to Tapas fundraiser will be held at:
The Englander Sports Pub & Restaurant
San Leandro, CA