Wall of Dreams

On Tuesday, February 9, 20 toddlers from the NYC Department of Homeless Services had a special furry visitor to help start their morning. Ringo, a Grand Champion Siberian Husky, stopped by to meet the children before competing at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show later that week. One of the teachers said, “The children have been anticipating the dog visit and are very excited!”

While Ringo is known a Grand Champion, he has quite the resume. In addition to competing in shows, Ringo is trained in obedience as well as Rally and K9 Nose Work. His owner explained, “Ringo works and gets paid just like everyone else,... Read More

On January 25 and 26, the Garden of Dreams Foundation and the New York Knicks invited Jarell from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York for a special opportunity to fulfill Jarell’s wish of “being part of the Knicks.” The day started at the MSG Training Center where Jarell and his family received gift bags, which included personalized jerseys for each family member. Jarell was then welcomed to practice by New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher, the players, and coaching staff. After taking a photo with the team, Jarell and his family enjoyed watching the Knicks prepare for their big game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Once practice... Read More

On January 25, the Garden of Dreams Foundation unveiled the newly constructed Garden of Dreams Recording and Video Production Studio at The Children’s Village’s Dobbs Ferry campus. MSG Networks’ Rebecca Haarlow, Knicks player Kevin Seraphin, and Garden of Dreams Board Member Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels were all in attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Previously an underused classroom, the studio was transformed into a fully equipped soundproof space that includes new flooring, acoustic panels, isolated doors providing ingress/egress into the recording studio, a video editing bay, lighting for video production, a music workstation as well as recording and video equipment, software and training.

“The important thing about the studio... Read More

Dream Big Speak Out has launched and is ready for the New Year! For the second installment of the program, the Garden of Dreams Foundation and the New York Knicks look to impact the lives of younger generations. Dream Big Speak Out is a program created by the New York Knicks, Garden of Dreams and Urban Word NYC, designed to inspire students to engage and reflect on the African American experience as well as how Black History inspires our everyday lives. Over the course of eight weeks, 16 teens from Garden of Dreams partner organization SCO Family of Services will meet weekly at the Urban Word... Read More

The Garden of Dreams Foundation and New York Rangers Power Players season capped off with a Round Robin Tournament on January 12. Nearly 200 children from four Foundation partners, Children’s Aid Society, Harlem Dowling, Police Athletic League of NYC, and WHEDco, were excited for the festivities to begin when they were surprised by the arrival of New York Rangers players JT Miller and Viktor Stalberg. With the gym decked out in red, white, and blue balloons and banners, the teams were ready for the tournament to kickoff.

After the National Anthem, Madison Square Garden public address announcer, John Sheatsley introduced each team and the tournament was underway.... Read More

As part of the ‘Show Kids New York’ program, Garden of Dreams and the New York Rangers hosted 150 children from the Police Athletic League of NYC and WHEDco to ice skate at Rockefeller Center on January 14. Upon arrival, the children entered the locker room which quickly buzzed with excitement as they swapped stories of their past experiences ice skating and  how many were looking forward to their first time on the ice.

After strapping on their skates and bundling up in New York Rangers knit hats and gloves, the children entered the rink with little reservation. New York Rangers alumni Ron Duguay and Steve Valiquette... Read More

On December 7, as part of Garden of Dreams Week, 24 young dancers from Garden of Dreams partner organization, Police Athletic League of New York City, enjoyed an exclusive dance workshop hosted by the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.

The youth were greeted at Radio City with personalized gift bags filled to the top including new dance shoes and dance tights. After changing into their new shoes, the young dancers joined the Rockettes to learn the Rag Doll choreography performed during the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. During the workshop, the dancers lined up in rows while sitting on life-size lettered cubes to spell holiday messages throughout... Read More

On December 1, Garden of Dreams hosted a ribbon cutting event to unveil their largest community project to date -- a completely refurbished gymnasium at the SCO Family of Services Ottilie Residential Treatment Facility in Briarwood, Queens. Members of the Knicks, Rangers and Liberty were on-hand for the event, which was emceed by MSG Network’s Al Trautwig. The day concluded with a basketball clinic by the Knicks field marketing team for the children who are part of the Ottilie basketball team. The SCO Family of Services’ Ottilie Residential Treatment Facility is a 24-hour residential campus for approximately 50 youth with severe emotional disturbances and mild developmental disabilities. The gymnasium is the only location... Read More

On November 17, the Garden of Dreams Foundation and the New York Rangers hosted 300 children and families from the New York City Department of Homeless Services at the Carolyn McLaughlin Community Center at BronxWorks for a special dinner to kickoff the holiday season. To make the day special for the children and families, Ranger players Ryan McDonagh, Dominic Moore and Emerson Etem and several of team's significant others group were on-hand to serve meals, play games, take photos and sign autographs.

The dining room was decked out with festive Fall decorations including balloon scarecrows sporting Rangers jerseys. Following a delicious holiday meal, the celebration continued as families moved into a gym full of... Read More

This Fall, the Garden of Dreams Foundation and MSG Networks continued to host the their signature program, MSG Classroom, for 12 teens from Garden of Dreams partner organization, Children’s Aid Society. During the nine-week program, the teens learned from MSG Networks professionals, received hands-on experience and participated in once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Each week, the teens visited MSG Networks with a new task to tackle to create an original production.  To complete each task, the teens came together as a team to research show topics, write a script and practice interviewing techniques. The weekly sessions also included a private, all-access MSG Networks studio tour and opportunities to meet with... Read More