TONGS CHARITY FOUNDATION
湯氏慈善基金會
Nam Kue Chinese School
San Francisco, CA
In 1855, Chinese immigrants from the Nam Hoy County in Guangdong Province, China founded the Fook Yum Benevolent Society, a non-profit organization. As more and more Chinese families established and took up roots in San Francisco, Nam Hoy Fook Yum Benevolent Society started the Nam Kue Chinese School in 1919 to ensure the future generations do not forget their ancestral heritage. The school building was erected at the current site in San Francisco Chinatown in 1925. In addition
to the teaching of regular Chinese reading and writing, the after-regular-school and weekend programs offer knowledge in Chinese culture like calligraphy and customs. Nam Kue Chinese School is the earliest and longest surviving school preserving Chinese culture in America.
Tong's Charity Foundation CEO, Helen Lam (in red coat), with
Catherine Tan (in gray coat), Principal of Nam Kue Chinese School
Since the 1980’s, students there do not require to pay any tuition, if their ancestry heritage is from Nam Hoy, Panyu, and Shunde. In December 1997, the SFUSD Fook Yum Parent Institute was created as a joint education partnership between the Nam Hoy Fook Yum Benevolent Society and the San Francisco Unified School District to assist and support Chinese parents. The institute is located at the Nam Kue Chinese School. Currently, the school offers classes to over 800 students.
It was one of the wishes of our founder, Dr. Eddy Tong, to build schools and to provide educational materials to those who are living in impoverished neighborhoods in the United States, China, and underdeveloped countries. With great pleasure, Tongs Charity Foundation donated $20,000 to Nam Kue Chinese School to help further the Chinese legacy and education in our community. The funding is to be used for salary support of a teacher.