Gum Moon Celebrates 158 Years of Service
For over 158 years, the Gum Moon organization has served San Francisco’s Chinatown with services for women in need. Once known as a residential home for single women in the heart of Chinatown, its services have branched out in many directions. Its annual fundraising lunch provides a great deal of support to continue its services. It will be held September 12 at noon at Far East Café, 631 Grant Ave., in the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown.
This benefit lunch consistently draws over 400 supporters who loyally follow and help Gum Moon continue its programs for women and children in the community. This fundraising gala, themed ALL THAT JAZZ, promises an afternoon of elegance and nostalgia as it pays tribute to jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald and John Coltrane. Featured performers that afternoon will be Nina Lim, as well as the Tri-City Nightingale singing group.
Gum Moon Children’s Activities at Mid-Autumn Festival
Keeping the program efficient and enjoyable for all will be the two veteran emcees Jan Yanehiro and Doris Grover. Gum Moon Asian Women’s Resource Center will recognize two women who have made significant contributions to the Asian community in San Francisco: Dion Lim and Jo Jo McCoy. Television news journalist and author Dion Lim will receive the 2026 Outstanding Asian Woman Award for her achievements as an Emmy-winning news reporter and news anchor. Dion has also published two books: Make Your Moment: The Savvy Woman’s Communication Playbook for Getting the Success You Want (2019) and Amplify! My Fight for Asian America (2026).
Gum Moon invitation: 2026 All That Jazz benefit luncheon
Jo Jo McCoy will receive Gum Moon’s 2026 Outstanding Community Service Award as the founder and Artistic Director of the aforementioned Tri-City Nightingale, a Fremont-based nonprofit organization that provides children with chorus music education, as well as opportunities for performance and community service. Other activities to raise funds for this worthwhile organization will be raffle ticket sales, silent auctions and a Sing-a-thon. Proceeds will provide additional funding for all programs at Gum Moon and its three family resource centers in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Richmond and Sunset neighborhoods.
For over 150 years, Gum Moon has been a steadfast refuge in San Francisco’s Chinatown, initially established to protect and empower women in need. Rooted in resilience, it evolved to meet modern challenges for women, such as career development, mental health services and early childhood education for families, all while embracing our cultural Asian heritage. Especially notable are the services for women and their children, which include parent-child interactive groups, summer school for elementary school children, in addition to art and piano classes.
Children at Asian Women’s Resource Center Arts and Crafts class
Today Gum Moon/Asian Women’s Resource Center is proud to be both a bridge to self-sufficiency and a guardian of tradition, uplifting our women in the community through empathy, empowerment and enduring cultural pride. As its director Gloria Tan once told me, “At Gum Moon we try to foster a sense of belonging and mutual support among members of the community, particularly for those who are marginalized or underserved. As we work with women and families in need, we attempt to build self-confidence and reliance in a supportive atmosphere.”
Happy mothers and children at Gum Moon Christmas party, 2025
In Tan’s letter to supporters, she continued, “This gala fundraising plays a vital role in sustaining our services for marginalized immigrant women, children and families. Many in our community continue to struggle with the rising cost of living in the Bay Area. Increasing prices for food and necessities, combined with growing concerns about public safety, have intensified financial and mental health challenges for those women we serve.”
Come and enjoy an afternoon with ALL THAT JAZZ musical entertainment while providing fundraising revenue for these important services Gum Moon continues to provide in San Francisco’s Chinatown. I once read that the secret to a long, happy life is giving back to those in need, whether it be through groups like Gum Moon/Asian Women’s Resource Center, church or business. Here’s your chance. Come support their September 12, 2026 benefit luncheon. It’s a wonderful way not only to enjoy an afternoon among their supporters, but also to support this group’s services to women in need.
For more information: call (415) 788-1008 or visit GumMoon.org.
Gum Moon Staff and Board Members, 2023
I personally have supported this fine group for over 30 years, knowing the needed services they have provided to women and families in San Francisco’s Chinatown. In 2023, I was privileged to be honored at their annual dinner among other women in the community. At the event, I saw over 500 supporters at the luncheon who have followed Asian Women’s Resource Center through its many years of needed contributions to the Chinatown community. Congratulations to Gum Moon and its Executive Director Gloria Tan for leading the many programs assisting women in the community.
2023 Gum Moon Women Making a Difference
