Our Mission

The Charity Cultural Services Center (CCSC) story began in 1981, when a gentleman by the name of Harrison Lim, had a vision. Lim had been a professor at Hong Kong University and, when he emigrated to the US, he had challenges finding stable work. Intimately aware of the obstacles immigrants were facing, Lim envisioned an organization that could help make this transition smoother.

He became an active member of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (a group that supports and advocates for Chinese people in America) and eventually became the organization's president. Lim used the resources and networks he established in the US to raise funds and bring his vision to life by founding Charity Cultural Services Center in San Francisco's Chinatown.

The first program CCSC offered was a Chinese cooking class. Hospitality and tourism were major industries and economic drivers in San Francisco, so this gave immigrants a chance to start a career that could support them and make their lives better. More culinary training programs were later offered (Western & Japanese cooking, bartending and barista classes) along with a robust construction training and job placement program.