San Francisco (CBS 5)  -- In the 1930’s and 40’s, there was a nightclub in San Francisco’s Chinatown where Asian-American singers and dancers became world famous for their performances.

Those performers inspired Cynthia Yee to get out there and dance. She was just a child when she first saw Asian-American dancers performing in lavish stage productions. She knew right away that that was what she wanted to do.

“I started in show business at the age of 17, when I started my tours with Dorothy Toy's ‘Toy and Wing Show,’" she says.

Cynthia danced her way around the world, and when she retired from the road, she kept right on dancing. Now she hulas and taps for a cause. She entertains senior citizens and civic groups to raise funds for Chinatown Charities.

“I think we've touched many, or many lives have touched mine,” Cynthia says. “One day, over at the On Lok Center on Montgomery Street, there was this fellow. He was really quite frail, and by the time we finished dancing our little hula number for him, he was tapping and he was awake and so alert, and it was really nice to see.”

The seniors that Cynthia’s group performs for are so frail that they would never be able to go out and enjoy that kind of entertainment.

"It just adds so much to the seniors each day,” says Jennifer Sachs of the On Lok Center. “You know they look forward to these things. It adds excitement to their daily lives."

But dancing is not all that Cynthia does in her community.

“My grand uncle was the first Chinese Deputy Sheriff of Solono County, and my uncle was the first Chinese Coroner of the SFPD,” she says.

She uses her knowledge of the area to lead ghost tours of Chinatown. She also has a magic act, all so that she can support her volunteer activities, which include knitting winter hats and scarves for the needy, and being President of the Chinese Hospital Auxiliary.

"We just finished with the On Lok Fashion Show, which was in September. We had over 700 people in a major hotel, and that day we raised over $75,000. So that was very neat,” Cynthia says.

The funds Cynthia raises pay for much needed projects, like the rooftop garden where On Lok seniors can enjoy a sunny day. Cynthia says that giving back to her community just comes naturally.

"My mom is very good in helping people and her generation. She had many friends who didn't speak English, so it was always, ‘Mildred, Mrs. Fong, please help me read this,” she recalls. “I think I learned from her that it's a nice way to live."

So for her tireless tapping and fund raising, supporting projects that enhance her Chinatown Community, this week’s Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Cynthia Yee of San Francisco.

By Barbara Rodgers