across to hall at city hall. it is my honor to welcome supervisors mark farrell and christine al-awlaki. [applause] -- olague. >> this is a major grant to make sure that people in the middle of their careers in all neighborhoods get the skills and training need to get all of the high tech jobs center coming here. i called for a hearing recently with the city and school district because i am interested in learning about how public school education prepares students to access these jobs in the growing technology industry in san francisco. it is a very important cornerstone of our economic development efforts. first, we have to attract and create the jobs, and then we have to make sure they go to san franciscans, and that is but this grand and the tech assets initiative will help us to do. i think it was harvey milk that

said we have to give them hope. -- s.f. initiative will help us to do. i also want to thank the participants in the program. it takes a lot of initiative and discipline to say, i wanted take on these new skills, i want to transform my life. in transforming myself and achieving these skills with the discipline and commitment you have, then you are also transforming your communities and society as a whole. i especially want thank you for your commitment to this program, and to acquiring the skills to really change our lives and contribute back to our society in san francisco in a positive way. i want to thank you for participating in this program. [applause] >> a in thank you, christina.

first of all, i want to thank jay for having us here today. i am sure all of you are familiar, but this is one of the most amazing organizations we have in san francisco. i have had the opportunity to speak here a number of times to the children and am impressed more and more by the caliber of people that are here. thank you for all you do and to tiffany and dan for fostering that vision and the amazing organization you run. thank you so much for everything that you do. today, this grant marks a real cornerstone in our economic development in the city. of course, we need to first create the jobs and attract a company that will build the jobs into the future but we also need to train our work force here in san francisco to make sure they are the ones willing those roles. san francisco, through the

leadership of mayor lee, a lot of us on the board of supervisors, is building on our successes and becoming that innovation capital of the world that we have had the promise of building. we have so many natural attributes in san francisco. it is our geography, arts and culture, vibrant neighborhoods, everything a city should be. i think now you are seeing an economic development climate where we are probably trying to attract new jobs and industries to our city. whether it is the payroll tax initiative that kept twitter here in the mid market, stock options, other policies, we are changing the culture of city hall and, in turn, san francisco. what we're doing now is we are seeing the jobs come back. as the rest of the country grips with recovered from our huge recession, san francisco is leading the way. our unemployment rate has dropped two points in the last year. we have an unemployment rate

under 8% right now. not many cities can boast that. in the last year, it has dropped since mayor lee and we at the border supervisors came into office. for me, this continues we are doing at city hall, our mission. and a real point to the students here. please know that city hall and your local government is here because we want to create a better future and we are working for you. we will not rest until we deliver on that promise. congratulations to everyone. we look forward to seeing this make a difference four years to come in our city. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, supervisors, for being here. as i mentioned earlier, when our students finish, they move onto internships with 22 companies, including mozilla, j.p. morgan chase, and micromenders, among

others. the first of them to join us was salesforce.com. they are the enterprise, computing company that is leading the ship to social enterprise. one of the largest and best employers in the city. it is my honor to welcome one of our best friends from salesforce.com. [applause] >> thank you. we are delighted to be here and be a part of this exciting and groundbreaking announcement. i have to say, it is an honor to serve -- share the stage with mayor lee and our corporate partners. thank you for inviting us to be here. salesforce.com is dedicated to recruiting and hiring the best possible talent across the city of san francisco. we are proud to be a founding

corporate partner of your day area hosting four intern's. now over three years later i am excited to say, we have posted 47 intern's across seven classes. some are here today. [applause] just as salesforce.com transformed the enterprise software market with cloud computing, you are transforming the talent and what it looks like. i am sure i speak for all the partners when i say that the intern's bring value to our organization with their willingness to learn and their enthusiasm. it is because of this that we welcome them into our site as internes and in many cases, and by 10 to stay as full-time employees. it is a pleasure when that happens. salesforce.com will continue to support the efforts and as we continue to grow, we are excited

to see it a partnership between the city of san francisco and europe bay area as they strive to support more young people as they enter into the fast pace and exciting will the technology. thank you again for having us here today. [applause] for having us here again today. [applause] >> now for the part you really want to hear from, some of the students and graduates of the programs that we served here. since 2008, europe bay area graduated more than 200 students locally and thousands nationally. 87% are employed within four months of graduation, rt on average $15.69 an hour, or enrolling in college full time. it is my pleasure to introduce one of our graduates will give you a good sense of the talent that exists in our communities and what happens when that talent is matched with real opportunities. please add join me in welcoming

that student. [applause] >> thank you. and thank you, mayor lee, for inviting me to speak. i am a graduate. i had a tough childhood. my parents divorced before i was born. my father passed away when i was two. when i graduated from high school, i graduated -- was on my own. the only thing i could find was in retail. for several years, i bounced from job to job, just getting by. in 2009, i was laid off. after months of searching, i cannot find a job. i found myself alone on a cold autumn inight in union square. i was homeless. i thought to myself, i do not want this to be my story. i wanted more out of life. after sleeping on the streets for two nights, i was likely --

lucky to connect with the vietnamese center, who suggested i apply for europe. europe changed my life's in the valley. i learn skills that helped me become a professional and gained knowledge that set me up for success. europe believed in me and taught me the importance of taking chances. i completed the first five months of intensive learning and earned an internship. i learned html and deploy e- mails to millions of people. after six months, responses offered me a job. i humbly accepted it. i went from sleeping on the streets and homeless shelters and no sleeping in my own bed in my own apartment. from the jobless to working full time at one of the top companies in america. europe open my eyes to my full potential. now i have goals. education is no longer -- no longer something at the end of

my to do list. it is now a priority. i do not care myself -- carry myself with a shame but with determination. europe is more than an organization that teaches young adults about technology, business, and how to become a professional. this is an organization that changes lives and contributes to making the world a better place. europe was my second chance to live. thank you. [applause] >> so i think this is fair to say, you have opened our eyes to a lot of things. you have been an inspiration and a leader to so many people. i would like to welcome up carol, who will introduce our next speaker. [applause] >> thank you. thank you, mayor lee. thank you to everyone that the

office of economic and workforce development who made this grant possible. we are extremely excited to be part of this incredible collaboration, especially because it brings us together with partners who we already have, like mozilla and city college but will also bring us closer to some partners who we are looking for two meeting. also at salesforce, which is our data base. so thank you, salesforce. [laughter] it is my pleasure to introduce one of our adult students. she let me know that she actually just finished one of our city -- certificate programs last friday, and she has a lot to say about what has been provided for her. i cannot be happier about all we have been able to do for her. thank you. [applause] >> thank you for having me here and inviting me to join you at this press conference. i moved to san francisco about two years ago, and i did not know a lot of people. i knew i wanted to be a video

editor. i applied and applied and cannot get the job. i knew i was missing a little extra skill set. i needed that extra something. i had the drive, but i needed the no-out. i found a job that helped me make ends meet, but it was not the job i want it. i read about the classes and they offered the actual teaching, the actual know-how, how to work this program so i can go into an interview and said confidently, yes, i can do that. and truthfully, yes, i can do that. that is something i was not seeing from the their programs. bayvac really promised that. it was a certification and video post-production. not only did it provide the glasses, it provided gay community. when i moved here, like i said, i did not know a lot of people. that can be problematic if you're trying to find a job.

meeting my teachers, seeing their creators, how they made it work gave me that extra inspiration, that extra drive that i started with when i moved here. i tick class is on the weekends. eight hours a day. my friends would say, how can you go from working all week to have a class on the weekends for eight hours both days? i did not really know, but i knew it was because it was the light at the end of my tunnel. i mean, it was a motivating to leave their on sunday night after two days of glasses knowing the program and knowingly i am going to get to that job eventually. and i did. i found my dream job this september dreamcbs -- at cbs interactive. i got there because of bavc. you all have that drive. i was talking to some of the students before i came in here, and you're so excited to you

have the passion. that is half the battle. you have the skill set. and you'll find your dream jobs, too, just like me. thank you. [applause] >> if you are familiar with europe, euna lee tried to stay very much on schedule. so i have the honor of closing today. -- we try to stay very much on schedule. i am had the honor closing today. we have an amazing challenge in our communities but an amazing opportunity in front of us. the only way to address such a large challenge and opportunity is the partnership you see here today, bringing together private enterprise with government and educational partners, our philanthropic investors like to pinpoint and jpmorgan chase. that is the way you have made is in the consent in this country, by bringing those forces to bear on the ills that we see in our country.

it was our honor to host. i think we have time for one or two questions. >> well, here are the answers. [laughter] >> seeing that, we are adjourned. -- seeing none, we are adjourned. [laughter] [applause]

knows >> the executive director for saint anthony foundation, honored to welcome all of you to this hope-filled and ossetia's differ the foundation. for those of you may have been down in the dining room, today is a special day for all of us, especially our guests. in october of 1950, father alfred bodeker, a pastor just up the street, open the doors of saint and the 's dining room. he saw it as a growing need on the sidewalks outside the church. everyday folks were lining up, searching for food. he felt that handing out a sandwich at the back door was not a dignified way to assess people, and it did not help to address some of the core

problems that those folks were facing. so he was able to acquire at the corner of golden gate and jones, an old on a body repair shop, and he converted it into a dining room. from the start, he wanted it called a dining room. and everyone that came to the doors for a meal was to be called a guest. all of the volunteers, all of our staff throughout the last 61 years and knows that we greet everybody who comes through the doors like we would greet somebody coming into our home, with that same hospitality, that unconditional welcoming. so that not only are they getting a fine meal, but they're being reminded that their dignity is in tact. and that we're there to stand with them through whatever hardships they are facing to start a new day. on that first day, father alfred thought he would serve about 150 meals. but 400 showed up to eat. they managed to have enough food for everyone.

the dining room also became known as the miracle on jones street, because somehow there were always able to feed everybody who came. here we are today, everyone, 2012, 61 years later, 38 million meals later, and we are, today, serving our last meal in our original dining room. we are relocating for two years the tiberi dining room. on the same spot where st. anthony's was started, a new dining room is going to rise up. we're very excited about that. we're excited today to be launching both the start of that new building, lodging the public face of our capital campaign, and together, as a community, bringing it all together so that st. anthony's is demonstrating its commitment for the next 60 plus years to serve the people of san francisco. one of the things we have always valued as partnerships. this is no different. not only are we building a

larger dining room, about 43% larger, in fact, we are also bringing two of our other programs under the second floor of our building. our clothing program and our social work center, both on the second floor. it means that our guests have this integrated services right there, immediately where they need them. another partnership i am very proud of his partnership with mercy housing but they're going to be building 90 units of affordable senior housing on the upper floors. this corner of golden gate and jones is going to be transformed. there will be a 10-story building on the corner. it will bring food, counseling, clothing, and housing. and i think that i can say that the mayor has always emphasized the need for partnerships. we can address the challenges we are facing as a city when we all pull together and we bring our best to cells and our best expertise to address the

challenges we face. and caring and sharing is a theme i know the mayor has promoted throughout his efforts and continues to bring to his leadership in san francisco. certainly that is what st. anthony's exemplifies and what we do each day. it is my honor to introduce the leader of our fine city, mayor ed lee. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you for your leadership. father, thank you very much. you represent really the best of what we do in san francisco. i am so glad to join supervisor scott wiener here today. our fire chief is here. members of our police chief and the district captain is here. jane kim is here as well. a wonderful collaboration of people that have come together because of st. anthony's. not only are the meals important, but it really is the

spirit and connections that people get when they come to a center like this. it is warm, friendly, people open themselves up for dialogue. and quality of life and then becomes something that is mutually talked about. i am thrilled to join here. i do not see it as anything negative today, just because it is colorado maybe the last meal served here for now, but it is won that excites me for the new chapter of st. anthony's. the new head of mercy housing is doug schumacher, who came as the head of our mayor's office of housing. i know he will be heading up a building this wonderful housing complex, along with the ground floor meal center that you have here, while you take care temporarily of the serving of meals to people who really need them and want them and good, wholesome food that has always been at the heart of the expression of love and support at st. anthony has. i am also proud to share the stage was someone like larry

baird. i have to say this, when you say the word of the name giants, there is only one giant in this city that we welcome. that is the san francisco giants. you know what i am talking about. [laughter] i will say this, i am really happy to associate st. anthony's and what the giants have done in partnership with them, because it is something i have always wanted to see, our businesses, our sports team to be able to make that strong connection as they have historically done. not only to the management come down, like larry himself, but the owners and the players have been here serving meals. again, showing the love that this city has, the connections that we all have, because it is about connecting people in life, no matter what stage they are, what economic level they are at.

i am -- i have always about the city for the 100%. everybody lives here, and what we do and what sherry does and went sherry announces a need and the father praise for people to come, people should listen. and they should, and they have to. and that is why we chose our director of hope, housing opportunities, partnerships, innovation, embracing and engaging our communities. bevon is here today to help serve these meals. he is supposed to be on vacation, gearing up for the very hard work he is going to do. but i know his passion has already been shown for so long. so it is natural that he comes aboard and helps. these are the kinds of people that i want to surround myself with. the supervisors, with good administrators, people in the community, the business

community, that all coverage on the important part of improving people's lives, opening up communication, giving the heart of san francisco out in the open and making sure that we take care of their buddies needs. with that, i am happy to be here. i am happy to be part of service to this. and sherry, congratulations on this stage of bringing forth for st. anthony's. i am excited to see a brand-new building, but also the same hearts to go into that have always been here. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you so much. speaking of hearts, many of you are today volunteering with us. and every year, roughly 10,000 volunteers come and give of their time and served meals, help out in our clothing program, our clinic, and our various programs.

but at the core of what we do each day in the dining room are our regular volunteers. men and women who, for years to come in every day of the week -- some have a monday, some have a wednesday. they come in every week on that day, and they surf. they greet our guests. there's some of the most constant sources of hope and inspiration for our guests. many of our regular volunteers have been with us for 15 years and over, and we're so grateful for them. i know that as we embark on this new adventure, saying goodbye to the original dining room is also a sad tug on their hearts. but we're bringing for the spirit of generosity and care that our regular volunteers bring each and every day. i am honored to invite two of those stallworth volunteers to join me and say a few words. kathy and bill. [applause]

>> good afternoon. i can attest to the energy that is going on in the dining room this morning, having been there for a couple of hours this morning. there is sadness because we're leaving, and there's also a joy because of the new stage we're going to get up as sherry said, my name is kathy, 15 years ago i noticed an ad in the church bulletin. so i thought i would give it a try. i would come down here and began volunteering. when i first walked down that driveway of what used to be a garage, i noticed that i was on sacred ground, holy ground, if you will. there is an era of compassion and love and service and dignity and respect that i do not find any place else, and that is why i keep coming. 15 years, and i hope i can do even more. i wanted to share a very short story with you that sort of

speaks to my experience here on a weekly basis. just before christmas, the wednesday before christmas, one of the guests motioned to me and said, i want to tell you about this new show that i have seen. and he was very excited to tell me about an old show from the 1930's and how it was now being seen on his computer or laptop at home. after a few minutes, i took up his enthusiasm and energy and i sat down with him, and he continued to tell me the story and how excited he was. although it was not something that i know about particularly, i found that we were just two people sitting in a dining room and sharing some time together. and there was no longer the server and the guest. it was just us. and i left that day feeling as though i had been touched in a very special moment. it is those moments that make the dining room some magical for

me. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. my name is bill. i have been with st. anthony's for three years. i think it is a great privilege to be able to serve. st. anthony's is very special. last friday, i attended one of the great old san francisco at restaurants that reopened in in north beach, original joe's. i was there, chatting with the owner, and i told him was a very impressed by the new restaurant. i said, what is the capacity? he said, well, we served 502 for

lunch today. i said, well, that is nice. we served 2200 for lunch. [laughter] [applause] so i think one of the greatest of the virtues is a charity. st. anthony's practices with that. it is with great love and compassion that they've served their guests. and i am just lucky and proud to be part of it. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, kathy and bill, very much. you know, every meal we serve, as well as all the services we're privileged to provide the men and women and families who come to us, are possible because of the generosity of the people of the bay area. since the day we opened, we have been able to do what we do because of contributions from individuals, families, and businesses. we do not accept government support for our work. it truly is san