When Jimmy and Linda Yip's 19-year-old son and only child, Nathan, was killed in a car accident, they refused to let their grief immobilize them. Instead, they immediately felt a calling, says Linda, to fulfill Nathan's dreams of helping to educate children. (After being shocked by living conditions he saw during a trip to an orphanage in China, Nathan expressed what his parents now refer to as his "last wish:" starting an organization that provides education to children in need.) 

To do so, Jimmy and Linda created the Nathan Yip Foundation in 2001, which helps educate underprivileged youth by buying school supplies, providing buses, and building schools. The volunteer-run foundation has funded several projects in Rwanda, Mexico, Haiti, China, and Denver (its hometown). The group holds several fundraisers each year to support both new and ongoing projects around the world, like the upcoming Chinese New Year event. This year's party celebrates the Year of the Snake, and features three dance performances, including one by a Denver-based popping crew. 

Get Involved: Register for the Nathan Yip Foundation’s 2013 Chinese New Year Gala on February 2 at the Denver Marriot Tech Center at 5 p.m. Interested in the foundation's volunteer opportunities? Email info@nathanyipfoundation.org.

—Image courtesy of the Nathan Yip Foundation