the parkinger foundation for making the purchase of this site at a favorite time in the market thank you to the families and to the many members of the building committee who worked so hard under the chairmanship of joe epstein and richard on the shoulder of giants i especially want to thank bill who's one million dollars will pledge pushed the building he never hesitated when gloria and i came to you thank you, thank you so much and thank you, everyone for your support on finishing line chair john. >> thank you mary i'm john farmer i have the honor of being vice chair of the board of

governors on the commonwealth club and also the chair of the finish line committee what do that mean the finish line committee is charged with the fundraising effort to complete that beautiful building we currently have 16 plus million dollars of money committed to the project the total cost is $25 million so we've got another 8 one half million to raise mary gave us a firm foundation to bring this foundation to completion so we're 2/3rd's of what you there. i would say to thank our expanding campaign counselor shawn richards who is where it is shawn he's back here you want to hold up your hand he's the president of greg by the fundraising consultants from the beginning.

we also would like to thank pat as mary less mentioned a member of the clubs board and president of the tom by foundation the largest and very generous donor to the project please welcome tale of two cities to tell us why it is so important that the commonwealth club complete that project. tale of two cities please (clapping) >> kind of hard to follow george schults and mayor ed lee pr anyway greetings to all of you this is really a thailand moment for all of us involved in the club many years fighting for an incredible facility for the

club for many years to come. i'm older than i thought i was. jeff baker is essential my partner the ceo of the ca resident foundation he's worked with me on many, many projects he's been extremely helpful in terms of the ca rat grant commitment to this wonderful facility. i think without having the ca resident foundation to join the toby foundation it wouldn't have been possible to get to this point in the campaign where we celebrate, you know, this groundbreaking which the board of the ca resident foundation who i represent it thrilled

about. i'm overjoyed i wanted to kind of just maybe for a moment go to a slightly different discussion i've been a member of the board i had a duplication are fwlor a number's of years ago she said you know, i think you'd make a wonderful board member i said i don't go to board meetings she said look you can be very helpful without going to board meetings and i think today, she has been vindicated (laughter) there are many, many people that made this project possible. you know, the size of the gift

is also important but i think what's more important is the size of the gift in relations to the capacities of the giveer we sometimes forget that we forget for certain people the $500 gift is a more generous gesture from a weighter person we've been fortunate to have small and big gifts i've recognized some of the donors i want to make sure that everybody keep in mind that all of us that have given gifts to the great project have done so with enthusiasm with you think great leadership gloria

has really i just can't say enough i did it because gloria duffey told me i needed to she's the heart and soul of the project the rest of us whether on the committee or donors we're really part of the choir she's organized this project would not be here today without gloria duffey (clapping) so some of the other members of the choir are bill is back there i believe. arthur rock and antonio e thompson who have been long time

members and kaiser permanente, we have a very generous member of our board who is unanimously made several large gifts to here's to unanimous here's the to the user i irvine foundation the chevron corporation mitch and kathy johnson aren't i supposed to have an automatic package turner. the bechtel foundation and others we've got a lot of generous people i want to say one other thing about the club. some of you that know me better than others are aware of my

politically i think inclinations on the conservative side who pains me, however, the dialog the political dialog in our country has become unfortunately bitter, contentious, derivative and one of the things that the club offers all of us is an opportunity for civilized dialog in a world that sorely needs it so congratulations to all of us particularly to the people are involved directly that with the commonwealth club and gloria and may god bless that wonderful project. thank you (clapping) and now to give us some words of

prayer and benefit decision that go beyond any message arab by doug and reverend >> it's a an honor to participate in this wonderful event today. those and those are the words of living god the jewish law follows the word of in teaching codified in the sixth servant plaques sure that the opinions of the stability and the benefit of for all of informed debate over the issues effecting socialite for one hundred and 11 years the commonwealth honors

minority aid majority vpdz on the defining issues of the day at that time of growing polartion to our society for the complex issues from the most local to the global we rejoice no our coming to our neighborhood next door is your office and look forward to partnerships on areas of mature interests marching may the supporters be blessed with continued inspiration and safe construction and the knowledge that our entire community will benefit. and the tall mid says who is wise one who liens from every person from all my teachers i have ground wise but your testimonies is my wooichl i've supported this view whether or

not we agree we learn from the one hundred of top qualities of speeches and may our future continue to shine brightly on our city and neighborhood and indeed our entire world as you shine a light in the process. let me conclude with a honoring and blessings the ferries occasion in our life and today is both >> (speaking foreign language.) >> blessed are you and our god and rural felt universe who sustains us and who is brought us to this special moment. amen. >> thank you. >> so god of us all we

grandfather this afternoon to thank you for the beneficiary factors who make that construction for the free exchange of ideas. bless those who have duly licensed in and those who will construct this building the architects, the kraeshths, the construction worker worker trshgsz and slarpz and project supervisors. bless who those who come to the understanding and knowledge and wisdom may the debates and the impartial discussions and issues of our times energy guys this to dispel the darkness of disease and poverty and hunger and violence and all had threatens human life and dignity. we recall that truth is more

than abstraction or the conclusion to a tightly constructed idea of the outcome of a careful extremity. you are truth love, beauty and compassion. and those who abide in those qualities abide in you. and comblielgd and empowered but your wiefrm may we do the truth and our minds open to 9 simplicity of wifrm and also value truth more than the pride of being right. may the attraction of cold facts never blind us to the heart of the matter may we use your gifts only to raise up those who are

fallen and never to make little of our people. may the shared vision of a renewed and better world free us from all sip cynicism as we work together to fashion a more humane and a just world for all. amen (clapping.) hi everyone can you hear me. >> some of you know that the founders of the commonwealth club in 1903 which you say as its name 53 ignore the commonwealth club came literary the agora in greek meant a place of assembly the center of life in the greek center this site

feels like awe ignoring ignore here in san francisco but with an open light and beautiful face to the embarcadero which will invite the community in for talks and event often when the leadership of on organization changes it's priorities change. a home of its own has been a goal of the commonwealth leaders, in fact, mentioned in an editorial in the san francisco chronicle that called for the founding of the commonwealth club shirley will i temple established the club in the 18980s and others have served on other committees over the 40 years the contingent has brought us here today and it is

racket few other organizations would be cpa capable of much is sustained effort there are most people to thank the schultz and mayor ed lee our john farmer and mary the board of governors the done nefarious and architects and establishing architects and steve tipping our structural engineering and other contractor and bank of america and charles our acoustic and tom our broker who helped us buy this place the san francisco planning department and the club staff especially nick our cfo who said look at that large item rent in our budget who said do something and piper our department and

greg dalton for ongoing leadership for the club and bill adams who was on our board until he passed two weeks ago and shirley i didn't temple black and the commonwealth family who once was said has deep broad support for the club in the community that made this project possible. so groundbreaking usually has some kind of symptomic gesture to save the start of the project several people asked are we going to break or shovel or do something symptomic you know how the events at the commonwealth club they start with the gavel so we're starting a program of a different kind and do it in the

unique commonwealth club way. (laughter) >> i'm going to ask several people to join me to help me representing the contingent of the generations that have brought this project to where it is charles black junior who's mother shirley will i black temple passed and rob adams who great, great grandfather founded the commonwealth club that he chuck who's tad was a long time member of the club meeting and at every board the club needs a building he's no longer with us but chuck come on and co-chairs of the last committee the one

that has brought this about. >> one more nick our cfo come on up nick hold onto this beam right here (laughter) we've tested this to make sure it's okay come on up gentlemen com and join me.

nick - grabe and join me. nick - grab on. 3 hits of the gavel less hear it (clapping) now let the party