John Legend performed live at City Year’s In School & On Track National Leadership Summit in Los Angeles, CA on May 18, 2010. His performance was a tribute to City Year and the work the organization is doing to address the nation’s dropout crisis. I still have goosebumps…
Mr. Legend’s tribute performance to City Year was magical and timeless. It was one of those moments that you’ll never forget. He even gave City Year a shout out on Twitter after the show.
Perhaps the most powerful thing John Legend did that night was before the show. And it wasn’t his amazing singing voice or ridiculously good piano playing. It was him standing at the podium humbly saying thank you to City Year corps members and to the organization for their important work in schools across America.
Every 26 seconds a student gives up on school in America. City Year corps members are on the front lines of the dropout crisis. They work in high-poverty schools as tutors, mentors and role models – focused on keeping kids in school and on track to graduate. Before his performance, John Legend shared his appreciation for City Year with a short speech. Below is a video of his speech, followed by the words he used in text.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdVJnGatV0c[/youtube]
John Legend:
Thank you very much. Thank you very much, all of you, for being here. It is such a pleasure and an honor to be here among all of you. I know you y’all are ready to hear some music but I just want to say something real quick: I want to thank all of you for coming here tonight and supporting City Year.
I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to shine and City Year helps make that happen. That’s right. They do that in communities all across the country. This amazing organization provides our young people with opportunities to make a difference and change the world for the better, so I want to thank you for that. Your work is essential to our collective future; especially the difference you are making in the schools and the classrooms.
We still have a lot of work to do but I feel hopeful and I feel optimistic knowing that City Year is providing the leadership and the work on the ground, so that we can continue to make a difference. So tonight, I want you to be proud of all that you accomplished, know that you are truly making a difference in the lives of others, know that we are all appreciative of the work that you are doing, and again, a warm thanks for all of your help. Thank you very much.
Mr. Legend, if you’re reading this, on behalf of the City Year community I want to say thank you. Thank you for your compassion. Thank you for your kind words, your amazing performance and for a magical evening. And thank you for believing that every child deserves the opportunity to shine. We agree. And a big shout out to the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) for creating a magical evening for the City Year community.
