younger people struggling with police, we say -- >> you've got to give them love. >> a sign of hope -- we say -- >> you that got to give them love. it is wonderful to see each and every one of those gives power to help in our world. to you all, we say -- >> you have got to give them love. >> for all of us to leave here tonight with the resolve to reach one person in our lives, we say -- i would like to steal this blessing with the whole the blessing of glitter. i have been asked not to use clipper. like our love, it's everywhere. now with the energy res drawn from the street, from the energy

rays in our house, we know you'll all with the holy blessing of our love, and may our love spread, made this glitter remain -- oop -- this love remain with you as long as it is needed, and made it remain with each and every party that needs magic and mike. repeat after me. what joy? more joy. i want to hear you this time. always join. on behalf of the sisters of perpetual indulgence, i know released this love, this energy, and this power to all of you. blessed be this blessed day. thank you. ♪ [applause] >> . plea done. beautifully done. -- beautifully done, beautifully done.

i know you want to see and hear from this legendary performer. we're so honored. the bay area is filled with beauty and wonder. just like our next speaker. rita moreno is one of the few people who has won a grammy, and in me, i tony -- an emmy, a tony. she is also won the heart of san francisco. your honor to welcome ms. rita moreno. [cheering] >> merry christmas, everyone. ok. the ageless words written by

dickens 152 years ago addressed the radical, social, and political upheaval that was the french revolution. "a tale of two cities"expose the inequity of government. is a narrative that speaks to us today. it was the best of time, the worst of times. it was the age of wisdom, the age of foolishness. it was the epoch of belief. it was the epic of in credulity. it was the season of light. the season of darkness. it was the spring of hope. it was the winter of despair.

we get everything before us. we had nothing before us. we were all going direct to heaven. we were all going direct the other way. does that sound like the current political discourse? [laughter] does that resonate with your feelings? does that describe your consensus of someone you know? how does one navigate the uncertain valley that lays between the best of times, and the worst of times? is it possible for this season of lights to shine into this season of darkness? there's a compass which can guide us from the winter of despair, and that is called hope. help.

-- hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier. we can all be thankful for hope. people like martin luther king jr, told as darkness cannot drive of darkness. only light to that. the haight cannot drive out hate. only love can do that. perhaps it is only coincidental, but you cannot spell passion without spelling compass.

i can remember people who hoped for me encouraged me. no matter the times in the season's, we cannot give up on hope. hope is patientvce with a lamp lit. the american poet emily dickinson rights "hope is that thing with others that perches in my sou and singe -- in my soul and it seems the tune and never stops at all. thank you and happy holidays. can all the speakers join me? and all the speakers join me so we can light the tree? is peter still here?

ok. >> no, peter left. a surry. >> welcome, welcome. this is going to be gorgeous. i have not even seen the tree at. we're going to do a cat that. is everybody here? ok. i want to hear the children doing it, to. will will start with 10. ok? here we go. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. [cheering] [laughter] >> beautiful. >> 13,000 stars. and how many cranes?

>> 7000 cranes. unbelievable. isn't that beautiful? doesn't that give you hope? >> thank you for being with us. rita moreno. thank you for being with us. and now some music. >> thank you.

[music] paratransit is specialized transportation for seniors and people with disabilities who are unable to use the muni system. in san francisco, we're proud that we've had a paratransit program since 1978 long before it was mandated by the americans with disabilities act in 1990. san francisco is a unique city and our paratransit program reflects this. we have a network of services, including sf access van service, paratransit taxi, including wheelchair accessible ramp taxi and group van which serves groups of individuals going to a single location like a senior center. [music] >> i'm elsa scott and i'm a retired federal employee and i'm a native of san francisco.

i use paratransit because, i've been using it for about six years because six years ago i had to start dialysis treatments at cpmc. so i'm very dependent on paratransit three times a week, coming and going.. my current driver is brian berquist.; he's just such a friendly, sort of a teddy bear kind of a guy. i don't know what it is about brian, but all of us old ladies want to feed brian. [music] >> hi, my name is fred lein. i'm most proud of driving a ramp taxi since the beginning of the program in 1994. [music]

>> fred, you are the absolute best! thank you fred for providing transportation for me and opening up my social life, and taking care of medical appointments, taking care of my mother [music] >> hi, my name is ann bailey and i've driven for luxor for almost five years now. i drove for desoto cab for 10 years prior to that. i drove in 1976 for the old, old yellow cab. this is frances mecchi and i've been driving her for about 11 or 12 years to her alzheimer's day program, which we call the memory club. every day when we drive through

the presidio she'll say, "oh goody, you're taking me through the enchanted forest." [music] >> my name amr a.mahmoud. i am like 49 years old. i have been driving cab more than 13 year in general. then i drove a ramp more than 3 years. this is my fourth now. i have been enjoying doing the job. i like every moment of it. >> thank you amr. [music}

>> hi, my name is peter and i'm a paratransit driver for medsam, and this is north and south of market where i pick up my group and drop them off at home. >> thank you , peter! [singing] you are my sunshine. very good driver. she says driver is very good. number 1. [music] larry mingo, mobility plus driver, san francisco paratransit. >> thank you, mingo. >> you're welcome. >> hi, mingo. >> thank you, mingo. >> thank you, mingo. thank you. [music]

>> thank you, larry mingo. >> hey larry mingo, you are awesome. thanks for a great, great job you do for us. appreciate it. >> thank you, mingo. [music] >> hello, my name is james fells i've been working with paratransit for 13 years now. i get a kick out of the job; i like helping people you know when they need help to go shopping or getting picked up at the medical building. i really like helping people and that's why i've been working so long. >> hi, my name is kalani. i'm a driver with mobility plus. i love my job! and i've been working, i've been a driver since may and i'm pretty satisfied with the company. so, two thumbs up, hope you guys have a nice day. >> sandra johnson and i've been working for mobility plus for about 4 and a half years. i love it.

this is my job and i love it. it's very rewarding for me. one of my proudest moments is one of my clients left his cane on the bus and i've been picking him up now for about three years so i know that that cane was important to him. and i had dropped him off and i noticed the cane later on that day so i kept it with me and when i went back down to la play, when i worked my way back down there on a break to give it to him, he kissed my hand, 'cuz he can't talk. so he grabbed my hand and he kissed my hand. it just made me know that that was an important thing for him. so that was my proudest moment. [music] >> one couple who were riding with us, morning and afternoon, mr. and mrs. lee. mr. lee was the dialysis patient and he's probably in his 80's and every time we would

drive up to buchanan street, the hospital, mr. lee would say, "good job, fine driver, number one driver" and he would go like this [thumbs up gesture]. and then as brian would be helping him off the van, mr. lee, i heard him so often say, "brian, if anybody gives you any trouble you send them to me and i'll take care of them." and here great big old brian would say, "henry, you're the first one i would try to get help from." and he says, "the second one is elsa." [laugh] so we knew that we were being relied on by brian. a few weeks back, mrs. lee called brian early in the morning to tell him not to bother picking them up because they were already at the hospital. mr. lee was ill and she had taken him to the er. the next day or so, brian, on his lunchtime, found out that mr. lee had been admitted to the hospital and he went up to mr. lee's room and just stuck his head in just to say hello.

and the minute mr. lee saw him he went [gesture thumb up in the air] like that. and mrs. lee said, "he's telling you again you're number one driver. so brian really appreciated that; he thought that was really sweet. but he could see mr. lee wasn't doing so well so he left really quickly. and unfortunately, mr. lee passed away that evening. that had a great impact on brian and me. it was very sad, but it was so touching that he had seen mr. lee and mr. lee had confirmed that brian was "number one driver." >> this is san francisco paratransit. it's not perfect; we have our ups and downs: late trips, frustrated customers, stressed out drivers. but at our best, we get our riders where they need to go on time and with a smile.

and when we pay attention real carefully and notice what's happening on the van, taxi, or at the senior center, we notice that our drivers make a difference in the rider's lives and the riders make a difference in the drivers lives.