Nathan Yip Foundation’s Chinese New Year Gala
The Chinese regard pigs as a symbol of wealth, and it must be true because dollars came pouring in when the Nathan Yip Foundation celebrated the Lunar Year of the Pig at its annual Chinese New Year Gala.
The gala, chaired by Melly Kinnard and held Feb. 9 at the Grand Hyatt Denver, raised $300,000, thanks to generous sponsors like the Chotin Foundation, Pacific Ocean Marketplace and Seattle Fish, and a paddle-raiser that shattered the $48,000 goal by netting a record-setting $63,750.
That sum will enable the foundation to purchase laptops for each of the 265 students at Byers Elementary School on the rural eastern plains of Colorado. Gloria Mitchell, the principal of Byers Elementary, and Tom Turrell, the superintendent of the Byers School District, were among the 500 who attended the gala.
The colorful evening was a whirlwind of activity that stretched into the wee hours.
After enjoying cocktails, conversation and passed hors d’oeuvres that included firecracker shrimp and coconut-crusted chicken satay, guests were led into the ballroom by the Nguyen Thieu Lion Dancers, a group made up of Vietnamese Buddhist students from local elementary and high schools.
Dinner, served familystyle, began with the traditional salad toss and had such traditional treats as sea bass poached in ginger and green tea, char siu pork and spicy Shanghai shrimp.
The latter dish could be considered a nod to Stephanie and Kevin Tung, godparents of the late Nathan Yip. They lived in Denver for many years before returning to Shanghai to lead fundraising efforts for the foundation in China. They fly back to Denver every year for both the Chinese New Year Gala and the foundation’s annual Dim Sum Lunch.
The Nathan Yip Foundation was started by Nathan’s parents, Linda and Jimmy Yip, after Nathan was killed in an automobile accident in 2001. The foundation’s mission is to carry on the work that fueled Nathan’s passion for education and the wellbeing of children, especially in rural parts of the world.
After dinner, guests repaired to another of the Grand Hyatt’s ballrooms for a lively night market, typical of ones found throughout Asia, with attractions that included karaoke, a silent disco, face-painters, calligraphers and shopping for merchandise from both here and abroad.
Mike Kalush, whose time as head of the foundation board is drawing to a close, was given a commemorative plaque with the NYF logo made by the students at Eads High School on the 3-D printer that had been a gift from the foundation. Kalush is married to Denver7 anchor Anne Trujillo, the gala’s mistress of ceremonies.
Eads High teachers Joe Wagner and Sue Fox were there to express their thanks for the printer and gifts received from the foundation, and to let the Yips know that Arrow Electronics has offered to lead a technology-in-agriculture program at the school that involves having students monitor the health of cattle by using scanners mounted on drones.
David Thomson, who will succeed Kalush as board chair, was at the gala, along with retired Denver County Court Judge Doris Burd; architect Edward Huang; Melanie and Gertie Grant; Martha and Irfan Hussain; Jane and Skip Netzorg, who sponsored the Night Market; Trong and Tran Lam, founders of Pacific Ocean Marketplace; Denise and Kevin Gliwa; and Alan Frosh, Sam Bacon and Emily Bacon, who had been friends with Nathan Yip.
Dr. Larry Chan and his wife, Cynthia, filled three tables with friends from the University Club, a group that included Francine Butler, Esteban Romero, Michael Williams, Graham Walker, Joseph Raymer, Suzanne and Peyton Bucy and Brenda and Peter Plowshay.
Others taking part in the fun were Mary Krisko, director of career and technical education for the Peyton School District; Center High School principal Kevin Jones; and Jason and Sarah Cesario. He’s the operations manager for Seattle Fish.