The footprints of the new Wa Sung Community Center
By Karen Dea, WSCC Director
The newness of establishing the Wa Sung Community Center (WSCC) and acquiring a location to provide community outreach programs along with a common meeting ground for committee planning and board meetings, came to fruition by a committee that believed that ‘when the going gets tough, the tough gets going!’.
In the beginning of July 2010, as part of Wa Sung’s 5 Year Plan (2010-2015), what started as a far fetch dream, Goal #2, was established - Form a Financial Strategy to secure a Wa Sung Community Center. The assigned team leaders, Karen Dea, Nancy Tsui and Jeff Quon quickly did due diligence in reviewing the various real estate alternatives. It was determined that financially we currently were not able to purchase property, even at this ideal time in the real estate market. But, we prevailed to the next opportunities. Should we plan for an annual building campaign fundraiser? Could we find a philanthropist to donate property but ooh, we weren’t ready to financially maintain and manage this scenario. So, when the situation becomes difficult, the strong will work harder to meet the challenge!
As most metropolises were experiencing a nagging budget deficit, City of Oakland was initiating some City properties for sale. Hmmm, could we consider such a purchase? Well, not yet, as we probably didn’t have the leverage to obtain a loan. In August, we met with City of Oakland Councilperson, Pat Kernighan, District 2 – Chinatown. We shared our dream of a community center and she asked why. Our response was that besides the many opportunities the center can offer, there was one particular age group that often gets forgotten and needs support, this is the young adults, age 18-26, and at the same time our club was unfolding Goal #1 - Develop a Junior League/Young Adults membership, another part of the 5 Year Plan. We inquired about city properties for sale, Councilperson Kernighan shared some possibilities and then, the light bulb turned on… she mentioned the idea to have our Wa Sung Community Center at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. OACC was facing some financial strains with their budget cuts and was introducing a new organization process by offering termed rental space to the community organizations. This would be a wonderful location within the Pacific Renaissance Plaza, heart of Oakland Chinatown, ample parking, and wow, collaboration with an organization that promotes cultural enrichment to the community. OACC and Wa Sung have a lot in common, the dots connected!
The progress escalated in warp speed, in October, we met with OACC, shared our vision to have a community center to promote community & education services along with a place for the activities for the club’s newly formed Junior League/Young Adults membership. OACC welcomed our need of a location, admired our established 58 years of community service, and offered to rent their front office to be Wa Sung’s Community Center office! This was financially doable, voluntarily manageable, an office for our club with prominent visibility, a place to hold community outreach programs, and a meeting place for our many events that we plan!
As people were bustling around during the Christmas Holiday, the team leaders were making preparations for readiness; the Wa Sung Community Center office was officially opened on December 1, 2010! Whew, it was a whirlwind of blessings, wishes & dreams that became surreal, milestone accomplishments, fate of right timing, lots of support, something tangible for the Wa Sung members, and best of all a beginning of a new imaginable circumstance of the unending mission of Wa Sung, striving for community service.
Happy New Year indeed, on January 6, 2011, inside the beautiful OACC auditorium, along with the annual Wa Sung Inaugural dinner event, the celebration of the opening of the new Community Center was enjoyed by supportive community organizations, city & state officials, Wa Sung members and guests. The WSCC office was open showcasing the 59 years of history; various memorabilia, photos, past issues of Community Directories, articles written by WS founders, chronicle of newsletters, a TV showing the development and success of the Junk Boat Restoration project, a 1930 WS Baseball Team picture, a 180 degree wall photo of the Easter Pancake Breakfast crowd, a collage exhibiting the many faces of our past & current membership, Merit Award Exhibit and other fundraising events displayed.
We are happy to announce some of the upcoming WSCC programs/events: a series of Ikebana Floral Design classes, a summer sport program for children, a Bowling Social and Career Fair for the young adults and the return of ‘A Chef’s Delight’- a food & wine fundraiser for the Wa Sung Community Center and the co-beneficiary, the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
The WSCC office is available for all Wa Sung members to meet or a place to just relax and many of the displays will be rotated with newness, so periodically check it out! The office is available, Tuesday thru Sunday, 10am-5pm. The office key and visitor’s sign in/out sheet is available at the receptionist area. If you need a larger room for meetings, have questions, or want to share your ideas for the WSCC, contact Karen Dea at: wscommunityctr@gmail.com.