christina palone. (applause) >> good evening, everyone. i'm happy to be a part of such a great ebit that celebrates the contributions made by residents and organizations throughout the city to make san francisco one of the greatest places to live. the mayor's office of neighborhood services also known as mons focuses on neighborhood outreach and engagement. it is an honor to be here with community leaders who are dedicated to the same principles and are positively changing our communities. the effect that one person can have in a community is truly inspiring. and it's that inspiration that drives each one of us to go out there and be a part of something bigger. i congratulate every award winner here tonight and let's not forget that every person here has the power to make a difference. i want to especially thank daniel and his team for being such instrumental leaders here in city hall on behalf of all communities and neighborhoods in san francisco. with that said, welcome and enjoy tonight's event. (applause) >> thank you, christina. so, b

(applause) >> also i want to acknowledge his right hand christina palone, the new director, mon, mayor's office neighborhood services over there in that corner. (applause) >> and for those of you that don't know, i represent district 10, that's the southeast neighborhoods. that's bayview, that's potrero hill, visitacion valley, it's a little hollywood, it's dogpatch. it used to be the portola, half of it. my heart is still with you, but i'm glad like the speaker said, it is whole. and that is what's important, is that that neighborhood remains whole so that our city will be whole. you agree? [cheering and applauding] cheers >> so, a few years back there was this little idea to take back the bayview and really began to rewrite the history and the narrative that we often hear about in bayview. and it actually started, ironically, with a small little abandoned swath of land that has grown up to become the cuseda garden. and it's the thought child and the physical manifestation of hard work, of a few community leaders that got together and rolled up their sleeves and got to work. and tonight

without further ado, i'd like to start the program off by introducing my colleague, christina palone, the new director for the mayor's office for neighborhoods.