Roland Hui
2010 President
It’s an honor and a privilege to be the president of Wa Sung Community Service Club, one of the longest-running organizations that serve the Asian community in the East Bay.
Formed in 1953, Wa Sung remains a vital service organization delivering the much needed and appreciated educational and community services in the East Bay. With the support of the community, we have continued to fulfill the promises embodied in our mission statement. Despite the poor economy we still manage to give more than twelve thousand dollars a year in scholarships to promising high school graduates. We also give thousands of dollars in grants to schools and charity organizations. We bring a smile to the face of over a thousand kids at Christmas. We also support other worthy social service organizations here in Chinatown through their fundraisers.
Many of our service projects have long traditions – 53 years for the Easter Pancake Breakfast and 52 years of the Merit Scholarship Awards – and are still going strong. One can only imagine how society and people’s lives have changed in half a century and how many once-thriving clubs have fallen by the wayside. Yet we are still alive and kicking, providing community and educational services just as our founding fathers once did. What’s the secret?
I think the answer lies in two seemingly contradictory concepts: steadfastly adhere to the founding principles, and swiftly adapt to the changes of the times. Wa Sung never retreats in its mission to create good will and friendship among the people in the community, and never wavers in its belief that this mission can be accomplished by providing service to those of Asian heritage. These never changed, but that alone does not explain our success. What made the difference is that we also made key changes in response to a rapidly changing society. One need look no further than our membership. When we first got started, we had 16 members, all Chinese men. When membership retention and growth became an issue, we opened up membership to everyone who embraced the ideals of public service, regardless of gender or ethnicity. I have also noticed that our service projects and fundraisers have changed quite a bit over the years, no doubt due to changes in the economy, public taste, available resources, and the like.
I intend to keep this formula for success. We will continue to lend assistance and support to worthy individuals and groups, and we will also assess the need for change with the goal of making our club stronger and ready to take on the new challenges in this new decade.
I also invite everyone who shares the same ideals of community service to join the Wa Sung family. I promise that you won’t regret it.
Wishing you a very prosperous Year of the Tiger!
