Lighting the Way: Recognizing Those Who Illuminate the Path for Bright Futures
Dear Friends,
Because of the Cameron House community, we have stepped into 2026 with great momentum, important perspective, and loads of excitement for what’s to come! And, in celebration, we’re thrilled to share that the Cameron House Gala is right around the corner!
Theme: “Lighting the Way: Recognizing Those Who Illuminate the Path for Bright Futures”
Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026, 4:00 PM VIP Experience; 6:00 PM Dinner and Keynote; 9:00 PM After Party
Location: Julia Morgan Ballroom, Merchants Exchange Building, 465 California Street, San Francisco
This special evening is a celebration of our 152-year legacy and the powerful leaders who have lit our way here and a fundraiser for the bright future of our mission and work. Read on to learn about each part of the gala evening.
Tickets Sales
- Cameron House BFF* Early Access opens January 27
- General Admission opens February 10
- Early Bird 20% off Discount Window ends on February 17
🎟️ We have ticket options to fit every kind of celebration style
Package A – VIP Experience, Merchants’ Exchange Club, 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Price: $650
Great news: $300 of each VIP Experience ticket is tax deductible. VIP Experience tickets also include access to the Gala Dinner and After Party.
The VIP Experience will feature a bespoke architecture tour of the Merchants Exchange Building crafted just for Cameron House’s VIP guests, leading us through the little known nooks and crannies of this historic property. Kicking off the gala evening, the VIP Experience will take place in the private speakeasy-esque Merchants Exchange Club in the basement of the Merchants Exchange Building. Throughout the VIP experience, guests will be serenaded by a young local musician, part of Fang Yi Guzheng Group, performing the guzheng (Chinese harp), illustrating how ancient instruments live on within our youth in the modern world. Our VIP guests will be further delighted by a special performance by Cameron House’s own BAP (Bilingual Afterschool Program) children. With light hors d’oeuvres complimenting an open bar and plenty of moments to socialize with fellow special guests, the VIP Experience will whet our appetites and generate excitement for the rest of the evening’s fun. As this is a unique and intimate event, tickets to the VIP Experience are very limited.
Package B – Gala Dinner, Julia Morgan Ballroom, 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Price: $350
Gala Dinner tickets include Cocktail Reception, Dinner, the Keynote Address, and access to the After Party.
The signature event of the evening is the Cameron House Gala Dinner, featuring the theme “Lighting the Way” in recognition of the leaders who have illuminated the path for Cameron House’s bright future. Between dinner and wine and dessert and dancing, our Mistress of Ceremonies, local legend, journalist, and philanthropist Emerald Yeh will welcome the evening’s keynote speaker, former “Cameron House kid” Jenny Ming, CEO of Rothy’s, former CEO of Old Navy and Board Director for Levi Strauss & Co., Poshmark, and Kaiser Permanente, among others, to the stage to share with us the lessons and trailblazers who guided her along her path to broken records and shattered glass ceilings as one of Fortune magazine’s most powerful women in American business. With a special announcement from Cameron House CEO Scott Lan, a solicitation from Chief Advancement Officer Kim-Lan Thi Grout, a fundraising “game”, and truly exciting live and silent auctions, our gala is set to be one for the history books.
Package C – After Party Only, Merchants’ Exchange Club, 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Price: $75
After Party tickets include access to the After Party only (does not include dinner).
When the dinner plates are cleared and the lights turn up, the night is just getting started—join us in the Merchants’ Exchange Club for the gala’s lively, club-like After Party celebrating Cameron House and all we’re building together. Featuring San Francisco-native and Chinese hip-hop heavyweight DJ TIGERMOM TOY (Allyson Ortega Toy) spinning feel-good, high-energy, body-moving beats. With an open bar, a packed dance floor, and a the celebratory vibe, this is your invitation to raise a glass, move to the music, and quite literally dance the future in as we close the night with joy, momentum, and community.
Lighting the Way: Exceptional Leaders to be Honored at our Gala
Ming Quan Chang
Ming Quan Chang served Cameron House for over 20 years, including as Social Services Team Manager/Domestic Violence Case Manager, where she profoundly shaped survivor-centered and family-centered care. A Southeast Asian refugee and multilingual advocate, she strengthened culturally responsive support for immigrant and refugee families across generations. She also helped inspire the Friends of Cameron House, an alumni community dedicated to giving back and supporting others. We are proud to count Ming Quan Chang among the many iconic women who have shaped Cameron House.
Amy Lee
Amy Lee is doing the hard work on the frontlines of our community as a proud Chinatown-rooted leader and advocate. She is the founder of Dear Community, a grassroots organization uplifting Chinatown through cultural programming, small business support, and community connection and currently serves as a Legislative Aide to Supervisor Danny Sauter, supporting District 3 policy and constituent outreach. She is a young, but mighty leader, dedicated to strengthening civic engagement and protecting San Francisco’s cultural neighborhoods. Cameron House recognizes Amy Lee’s innovative, timely, and proactive contributions to Chinatown and the Bay Area Asian-American community, rising to meet challenges with tenacity and fearlessness.
Cynthia Huie
Cynthia Huie is the co-founder and owner of On Waverly, a Chinatown-based bookstore and community space celebrating and spotlighting the work of AAPI authors, artists, and makers. Also the President of the San Francisco Small Business Commission, she advocates for equitable support for local businesses, city-wide. Cynthia’s work is both creative and pragmatic, which reaches a broad audience as she blends entrepreneurship, cultural storytelling, and neighborhood-centered economic development. Join us as we honor Cynthia Huie, a modern-day icon, at our gala.
Anna Eng
Anna Eng coordinated and trained countless volunteers, secured and deployed digital scanning equipment throughout the building, and worked closely with UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library to thoughtfully house and protect these invaluable materials. Her daily presence at Cameron House over the course of several years reflected an unwavering commitment to both process and people. As a professor of Gender and Women’s Studies, her scholarship to equity and community-centered service embody the values that allow institutions like Cameron House to continue serving future generations.
Individual Sponsorships
Learn more about our gala venue!
Julia Morgan Ballroom, Merchants Exchange Building
The city’s most influential business leaders chose Daniel H. Burnham, of Chicago Illinois, to construct the Merchants Exchange as a central location for businessmen to meet and conduct commerce. Burnham hired up and coming architect, Willis Jefferson Polk. Polk’s better known San Francisco commissions include the Hallidie Building, Kezar Stadium, and the Pacific Union Club on Nob Hill, which some may remember was featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller, “Vertigo.” Only four years after work began on the Merchants Exchange, tragedy struck when the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906 devastated San Francisco. 28,000 buildings were lost, yet the Merchants Exchange Building survived, albeit damaged by fire.
To redesign and rebuild the building’s damaged interiors, Polk tapped a talented young local architect. Little did he know at the time, but his daring choice would turn out to be an architectural superstar: Julia Morgan. The first female architect to graduate from the École de Beaux-Arts in Paris and the first licensed female architect in California, Morgan’s fame would eventually eclipse Polk’s. Morgan’s assignment on the Merchants Exchange began her 45-year relationship with the building. For the better part of the 20th century, Morgan maintained her offices on the 14th floor of the building, a space where her most notable designs took shape.