enjoy the evening with you, and hopefully with our lights on on our new tree of hope. i also want to extend a very warm welcome to our honorable hiroshi, our council general of japan to please come forward. i would like to present an exchange at this time, our cranes, which are messages of hope, and as jeff said earlier, at this year there is a special message we want to deliver, one i have personally been involved in, and i wanted our counsel general from japan to be here, to which not only the council general but to the people of japan all of our great wishes as they recover from the very devastating earthquake and tsunami in japan, and that this is an appropriate time to get that exchange. and if i may, i would like to present the council general this

message of hope and our cranes. [applause] >> good evening, ladies and gentlemen. thank you, mayor ed lee. actually, this is my second time to take part in the city of hope celebration. i would really like to extend my thanks to reno world fund and the mayor and the people who are coming to join today's celebration. so many things come to mind when we approach the idea of hope. some of the first that strike me our hope during troubled times and hope for the future. and all time hoped-for our societies, for our children, and for the world. everyone of us might have hope

that the time of the beginning of this year to see a better world to live in, more peaceful, more prosperous, more cheerful. but as he mentioned, we did have many, many large scale natural disasters this year, starting with the puree -- in penury and in march 11 in japan. here in the united states, we have many tornadoes and flooding and cyclones, wildfires. in bangkok, thailand, again, floodings. to the contrary, in east africa, drought and famine. so i would like to extend my sincere condolences and sympathy

to the victims of all those natural disasters. we talk about march 11, at the tsunami and the nuclear power accident. japan has faced tremendous difficulties. but with your compassion and support and encouragement, japan is now on the the way to recovery and reconstruction. [applause] thank you very much. thank you. with your determination and prayers, and again, support and friendship and from you, we will overcome this tremendous difficulty. thank you is again for your help, and thank you. [applause] i would like to extend my gratitude to the mayor. thank you.

>> what a beautiful tree, and while we have the children gathering, i want to read one of the minute -- many wishes we got on the origami. it says i wish for a world for our children more just, more fair, and more kind than the one we know now, president barack obama. [applause] i think they're just about gathered. you will tell me when. this is the chinese-american school choir. let's hear it for them. [

trucks [singing in foreign language]

[cheers and applause] [children singing] >> let's hear it for them, the chinese american school choir.

talent comes in all kinds of packages. thank you, kids. i want to thank those who have contributed to the dinner you will be enjoying later. we have hot cookie from the castro donating and sweet cookies for as. we also have lucky o'toole's restaurants and sushi yakitori restaurant. and barefoot winery is providing refreshments for us as they have for the last six years. so, enjoy those wonderful streets. they donated this wonderful tree as they have for the last five years for city hall and the world tree of pope. let's hear it for them.

i have a feeling that part of the size of today's crowd, because they are special guests, it is my honor and the rainbow world fund's honor to welcome writer, director, award winner peter coyote. [applause] >> boy, san francisco knows how to throw a party, doesn't it? i want to invite my young friend up. we are going to read some of the wishes in at these origami cranes. please welcome from the japanese community youth council -- [applause] >> i wish there was not any

global warming. >> i dare to wish for a world in which people live in harmony with each other and with the natural world and with all the wondrous animals with whom we share the planet. dame jane goodall. [applause] >> i wish for a world where all people are treated with dignity, respect, and equality, no matter who you are or who you love. from secretary of state hillary clinton. [applause] >> i wish for everyone to learn to love without war. from gloria iverson, 90 years old, the philippine islands. [applause] >> i wish it will snow in the morning so nobody has to go to school for two weeks. from michael, 13 years old, long

island, new york. [laughter] >> i wish that the women and children of iraq and afghanistan could grow up and exist without fear of violence, brutality, and death at every corner, without hunger, without poverty, but instead with freedom. anonymous. [applause] >> i wish that my mom's and all same-sex couples were afforded the basic human right of marriage and in turn given the legal rights needed so that we could become citizens. i wish we did not have to struggle together as a family, fighting together to remain a family. i wish we could live, work, and be just like every other family. from marina. >> and this is a little boy i

want to meet. i wish that the next time i leave it shadow and sadie my dogs in the backyard when we leave somewhere that they would dig out of the yard and run far, far away, but i wish that only a shadow would come back and not sadie. i wish that sadie was stolen off the street and sold. [laughter] wolfgang, age 12, sparks, nev.. >> say thank you to kira shira. i have been asked to stay just a couple of words about hope. i do not want to take a lot of time. it is something worth talking about, especially in times in which we could cautiously remark about the dark. wars, a lot of turmoil, a lot of

struggle. some people think about hope as a wish. i wish i get a new bike for christmas. i hope this, i hope that happens. actually it is quite powerful and there is a rational reason for believing in hope. will we think about the situation that we would like to say, there are only three things that could happen. it could be all the way we want. to go in a way that we do not care about, or eight ago negatively. so, when we talk about hope, if we say, well, i really want this to happen and i want to contribute my energy to making this happen, the hope is actually the energy that will get this out and commit us to doing this, because it is hope that will make us feel happy. it is hope that will make us feel curious about the outcome, it is hoped that will make us feel eager to put our shoulders to the wheel. we all know what it is like when you're depressed.

so, living without hope really texas out of the picture. then not only are we not trying or contributing, but we are not modeling that behavior for other people. so, when we are hopeful, it is based on one very simple, logical fact, which is that we do not know how things are going to turn now. never know that, no matter how bad things appear. since we do not know how that are going to turn out, we might as low they will have some effect. if we are hopeful, we will be positive. if we are positive, we will be energetic. we will be taking concrete steps to make the world the way we wanted and to model it for others to see. if we do that and enough people see us and follow us, we will be living in the world we want to live in. thank you so much. [applause]

>> i do not know about you, but i could listen to that voice for a long time. thank you, peter coyote. his first time here to visit us for lighting the tree. next, i would like to introduce to you and origami artist. she is known all over the world. she has an american flight currently displayed in the smithsonian museum. she started folding origami at the age of 5. please welcome linda mahara. >> thank you. is this one working? good evening. thank you for that wonderful introduction. thank you to ed lee. this is such a wonderful event. it does become a wonderful event for us. i would like to introduce my sister, linda avery, who is

also an origami artist. we got a call from the director jeff carter. he had a wonderful idea. we had the opportunity to do it in city hall. because we're known for origami work, we became kind of like the directors in helping get the project started. now it is here, and it has grown. it is the world tree of pope. i do not know if any of you know this, but last year, the tree was named one of the top 10 most beautiful trees by american express traveler. the word is getting out about history, filled with wonderful wishes. we were asked to say a few words about why origami and why trees. i will turn it over to my sister. >> the inspiration for the origami crane, the cream is a symbol of water life and happiness in japan -- the crane

is a symbol of water life and happiness in japan. when a woman was dying of leukemia after the bomb dropped in hiroshima, she created the crane as a symbol of peace. the symbol has resonated with so many people. we've got a lot of people to come in and write wishes and put them on the crane. there are over 7000 cranes on the tree, 13,000 stars to add some more sparkle and help with the wishes up to the heavens. so, we are really grateful we have the ability to create this gift for the city of san francisco. we would like to thank everybody who helped us. there are some many people. a lot of kids in the city of san francisco. that is pretty much it. thank you. thank you for coming.

millie. [applause] it would not be a san francisco event without a blessing from the sisters of perpetual indulgence. >> good evening, everyone. i am here to bless you. will ask for everyone's attention for just a minute. if you please, would you close your eyes, bring your hand close to your heart, and take a deep breath. friends, family, to date -- today we're gathered beneath a symbol of energy, life, and hope for the world. you have decorated it with love and light, wishes and dreams. now on behalf of the sisters of perpetual indulgence, i gather this energy and strength that will pass to any and all who

look on this tree of hope and send it to you. but in order to send it to you, in order to release the energy of hope this magnificent tree represents, i will ask each and every one of you, if you please, every time you hear the words " we say," will invoke harvey milk by saying it as one group "you have got to give them love." repeat after me. and i want everyone in the building to hear you. you have got to give them love. i did not hear you. >> you have got to give them up. >> there you go. for all the lgbt 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.