Gung
Ho Club Celebrates Their 70th Anniversary
Boston- The
Gung Ho Club, New England's oldest Chinese youth athletic organization, will be
celebrating their 70th Anniversary on October 27, 2018 at the Empire Garden
Restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown. Founded in 1948, the Gung Ho Club which
is also known as the Boston Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club, offers
inner city youth a fraternal organization where they can learn lion dancing,
martial arts and other team sports such as 9-Man volleyball and basketball.
Traditionally, every Lunar New Year,
the streets in Boston’s Chinatown are filled with people that come to
watch the Gung Ho Club bring good luck to all the business establishments
as they perform choreographed lion dance routines. The Gung Ho Club
lion dance team performs all over New England during a month long
celebration of the Lunar New Year culminating in an amazing routine at
Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. In addition to New Year celebrations the
team performs at weddings, parties, and grand openings of business
establishments.
The Gung Ho Club has also
made significant strides in becoming more competitive in both
volleyball and basketball. This year they will be sending a volleyball
team to Montreal for the annual North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball
Tournament.
“I am proud to be part of an organization
that helps mentor inner city youth through team sports and teaching traditional
lion dance,” said Victor Lee , President of the Gung Ho Club.
“I would like to thank all our sponsors who support us
throughout the year because your help allows us to provide our youth with
these valuable opportunities.”
In addition to lion dance performances and
sports activities, Gung Ho Club members value their corresponding
responsibility of supporting the Chinatown community through volunteer work
with youth, elderly programs as well as law enforcement organizations.
Throughout its 70 year history, members of the organization have not only
contributed to the community through volunteerism and cultural development but
most have gone on to become valuable leaders in the city and nationally working
in law enforcement, local politics, corporate and business owners. All
will credit the values instilled to them as a Gung Ho Club member that laid the
groundwork for their personal development and future growth. All
donations and contributions to the organization are vital to continuing to
build programs and support systems for the Chinese youth while opening future
developmental and professional opportunities for them.
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Our mission is to organize and mentor Chinese
youth in the greater Boston area in a fraternal organization where they can
engage in athletics, sports and social activities as well as educating them on
their Chinese culture and heritage.