Help Renovate Shoong Gym: Strengthen Oakland Chinatown

Did you know that our gym in Oakland Chinatown has brought Asian Americans together to learn, play sports, and thrive for over 70 years? It was in 1953 when people came together to build this vital hub for their community, and we need your help again.

We have a historic opportunity to do better for our youth by renovating our sports facility. We need your help to continue offering equal access to learning, play, connection and wellness accessible for all in Oakland Chinatown. Please give what you can and if you cannot give at this time you can help us spread the word!

We are a non-profit community center that is home to a sports facility, youth sports program, and a Chinese language and culture school. We are inclusive, serving K-12 students from many ethnic and linguistic backgrounds, and unlike most language schools in the Bay Area, we are committed to keeping our fees as low as possible, so we can stay true to our mission.

We are a non-profit. Your donation is tax deductible.

We don’t have many safe, accessible recreation spaces in Oakland Chinatown and we believe that the community deserves a space where children and seniors can participate in sports, grow, thrive, and play.

But Why Focus on Sports? It’s Just for Play, Right?

You may wonder, "Why focus on sports? It’s just for play, right?" But play isn’t just play—it’s essential.

Play is where social-emotional development takes place. It’s where safety and mental health grow. It is the key to violence prevention. Play builds skills, teaches teamwork, fosters connection, and creates healthy habits. That’s why we believe every child, regardless of race, gender, or income, deserves access to the life-changing power of sports and play. Play is also essential for our Chinatown seniors, who will rely on our gym for wellness activities in 2025, when our local city run recreation facility will temporarily close. To make this possible, we need a safe and functional space—one that only a renovated gym can provide.

Our Story

Our center has been a cornerstone of Oakland Chinatown since 1953, founded by entrepreneur and philanthropic pioneer Joe Shoong. Throughout his life, Mr. Shoong was unwavering in his commitment to uplifting his community, particularly in the aftermath of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943) which had subjected Chinese Americans to violence, segregation, and exclusion from economic and social opportunities. He established our center to serve the community by offering free Chinese language classes to local youth and creating a safe, welcoming space for Chinese Americans to gather for cultural and social events. It was a community effort to build our center, and we can come together again.

Since those early years, we have remained steadfast in our mission to help local youth thrive through academic success, physical wellness, and cultural activities. In 1985, we launched a youth basketball program to address the lack of safe activities around our local outdoor courts. Today, we are proud to be the home of the East Bay Cardinals basketball team, and our sports program continues to provide young people a safe space to stay off the streets while learning life skills both on and off the court. We currently serve 500 youth each week in our center.

With rising racial tensions against Asian American youth post-COVID and the impending closure of the nearby Lincoln Rec Center in 2025, our center’s role is more crucial than ever. We anticipate at least 200 additional youth and seniors will come through our doors in the coming year, and we need a renovated facility to continue serving our community and meeting this growing demand.

Our Plan

We aim to renovate our beloved Gymnasium and adjacent Multipurpose Youth Hub in 2025, so we can offer activities ranging from competitive league basketball and ping pong tournaments to wellness programs, Chinese cultural events and workouts for seniors.

We have not renovated many areas of the gym for decades. Your donation can help us with these improvements:

• Sand and refinish hard wood gymnasium flooring; little feet need grip!

• Paint walls and bleacher stands; let’s feel pride in our gym!

• Replace basketball backboards; help our youth slam dunk it!

• Add posters, logos and decorations that celebrate Asian Americans in sports, our home basketball teams and represents our local community!

• Install protective padding on walls to ensure greater safety

• Replace the scoreboard and boost pride for our home team!

• Improve ventilation

We are also excited to create a Multipurpose Youth Wellness Hub adjacent to the gym, which will support our new wellness programming for teens and their families. Help us design the perfect space to hold our culturally competent, bilingual wellness classes on mental health, confidence building, decision-making and communication.

How Can You Help?

We appreciate any amount you can contribute to our campaign. If you cannot contribute, you still have the power to help. Here’s what you can do:

• Share our Gofundme with your sports, school, or work community.

• Share our Gofundme with those who are invested in seeing AAPI communities thrive.

• Create or forward a post about us on your Instagram or Facebook

• Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @shoongculturalcenter

Special thanks to David Quach, one of our Center's alumni, for developing the wonderful video about our school. David is a professional commercial & wedding filmmaker who resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.