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City Year San José/Silicon Valley Opening Day
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thank you to all who joined City Year San José/Silicon Valley last Friday, October 7th for the community breakfast to celebrate the 50 corps members who pledged a year of full-time service to the Silicon Valley community.
City Year San José/Silicon Valley was joined by many local champions at this year's Opening Day. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Alum Rock Union Elementary School District Superintendent Jose Manzo, Councilmember Xavier Campos, and Lorena Hernandez, California Director of Community Investment, Comcast all joined Beach Pace, Executive Director of City Year San José/Silicon Valley at the San Jose Athletic Club to address the 50 corps members as they made their commitment to serve in San José schools.
Perhaps one of the most poignant comments of the morning came from Councilmember Xavier Campos, the representative for San José’s District 5, the East Side of San José where the ARUSD schools are located. Campos attended two of the schools in which City Year San José/Silicon Valley currently serves and challenged the corps members to be great this year so that they could in turn challenge students on the East Side to be great. “They will make you smile, they will make you cry, and most of all they will make you proud of the year you spent here,” said Campos.
“City Year creates an environment of positive reinforcement on which children have come to rely. Students find in corps members a friend they can talk to, a role model to look up to, and the hope that success can be achieved,” said Jose Manzo, Superintendent of Alum Rock Union Elementary School District public schools. “I have experienced first hand the phenomenal impact your investment will make on the lives and futures of students.”
Comcast sponsored Opening Day at all 21 City Year locations and Lorena Hernandez, California Director of Community Investment for Comcast joined the corps in celebrating their commitment to service this year."Your year of service will serve as a model for generations to come”said Lorena. “It our pleasure to join with 2,000 young people committed to a common purpose.”
The final speaker of the morning was Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. She talked about how important and inspiring it is to see young people working with kids who need a little extra help to follow their dreams. “It is our obligation that kids who didn’t think they had a shot, get there. You are changing children, their families, and yourselves,” said Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. “This year is going to help you in a way you never even dreamed.”
Opening Day concluded with a community spirit break led by City Year San José/Silicon Valley's Executive Director Beach Pace. As corps members, councilmembers, teachers, principals, corporate sponsors, alumni, friends, and loved ones all put their hands on the shoulder of the person in front of them, Beach remined everyone of how they are connected through service. With one collective voice, everyone declared their mission this year is to “change the world”.