[applause] >> now please join me in welcoming the project manager of civic center residents, serena sheller. [applause] >> wow. so i am not really the public speaker. i take a lot of notes so that i can stay on script. i am quite verbose and i can just get off script. i will be what keeps you from lunch. good afternoon. as the final tndc manager to work on this, i have the honor of concluding today celebratory events. this project has had a very long shelf life, from initial meetings in 2004, to construction completion in late 2010. as a result, this project has touched many people's lives in multiple ways. it is with great pride and appreciation that i today work for an organization -- i'm not going to get emotional, i promise. it is with regret pride and accretion that i work for an organization with a mission to provide safe and affordable housing. when i was 5 years old, my family was surviving on welfare, and we lived one step away from homelessness. my mother eventually found safe and affordable housing. it was this intrinsic step that stabilized my family and allow for our dreams and