Wall of Dreams

This week, Garden of Dreams Advisory Board member Jill Martin announced she will donate more than $95,000 to the Foundation to go toward the college education of young person, Samantha Ortiz, from partner organization Make-A-Wish Metro New York. Samantha is a current first-year student at Fordham University.

Martin, who has previously won the Garden of Dreams "Hero Award," demonstrated exactly why she received that honor when she decided to raise funds for Samantha's tuition in lieu of accepting wedding gifts. With that incredible gesture of generosity, Martin has positively impacted Samantha's life forever. Check out this beautiful thank-you note written by... Read More

On Friday, September 26th, MSG Sports and MSG Entertainment kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with a celebratory festival at our partner organization WHEDCo's Highbridge Green School in the Bronx.

250 young people enjoyed a festive day that included Knicks and Rangers clinics, a Rockettes dance class, tattoos and face paint, back-to-school giveaways, as well as delicious empanadas! Special thanks to MSG Sports, MSG Entertainment, KIA, and WHEDco for collaborating with us to make this event so memorable!

On Tuesday, September 20th, Garden of Dreams young person and 2018 Talent Show alumna, Jasmin, had her dream come true at the Daddy Yankee concert!

Not only did Jasmin get to enjoy the show with her closest friends and family in a catered suite, but she was also invited up on stage by Daddy Yankee himself! Jasmin, an incredibly talented dancer, has overcome many obstacles due to a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis when she was younger. She has persevered through these challenges as a person and as a performer, and had the time of her life up on stage showing off... Read More

On August 31st, 2022, Fatima and Yagub - two Garden of Dreams young people from partner SCAN-Harbor - headed up to the Knicks training center. Once there, they enjoyed a tour of the facility, found two jerseys customized with their names hanging in the locker room, and of course had a private shoot-around on the court with current player Obi Toppin.

In January, Fatima and Yagub tragically lost their family members and their home in the devastating fire in the Bronx. They first met Obi the following month when he took them on a shop-til-you-drop shopping spree at the Nike store... Read More

On Tuesday, August 30th, five Garden of Dreams young people joined comedy legend Tracy Morgan for a day of service at a food bank in Lefrak City, Queens.

Tracy Morgan, who was awarded the annual "Hero Award" at the 2022 Garden of Dreams Talent Show, partners with Food Bank for New York City on a regular basis to distribute food items. This August, he asked five Garden of Dreams young people from partner organization WHEDco to join him. Tracy met these students at an event for alumni of the MSG Classroom mentorship program, which is hosted in partnership between the foundation... Read More

With the summer in full swing, it's that time of year when we welcome an ambitious college student as an MSG Student Associate to our staff ranks at the Garden of Dreams Foundation. This year, we are overjoyed to welcome Chris Falzone!

As a former Garden of Dreams young person affiliated with our partner Make-A-Wish New Jersey, Chris is no stranger to the foundation's work. Learn more about Chris' journey, including what it's like to be on the other side... Read More

On Tuesday, July 26, the Garden of Dreams 'MSG Classroom' alumni gathered for a special networking event - hosted by MSG Networks - featuring tips and tricks for the professional world, a group luncheon, and career and life advice from celebrity guests Allan Houston and Tracy Morgan.

The group gathered in the MSG Networks studio for an inspirational workshop. The young people first heard from MSG People Practice’s Celia Pena about her success story as a first-generation college graduate. She then gave the young people some tips on networking, resume building, internships, and interviewing.

Knicks legend... Read More

On Friday, June 24, the ultimate wish for one five-year-old came true.

Nuala, from Make-A-Wish New Jersey and Make-A-Wish Metro New York, has dreamed of dancing with the Radio City Rockettes for most of her young life. After a leukemia diagnosis in 2020, dance became a special source of inspiration and a vital creative outlet for Nuala.

It is no surprise, therefore, that her wish was to meet and dance with her idols - the Radio City Rockettes.

On Nuala's wish day, Radio City Rockettes Danelle Morgan and Katelyn Gaffney held nothing back to... Read More

Over the course of eight weeks in May and June, ten students from Garden of Dreams partner SCAN-Harbor participated in the spring semester of our MSG4Me mentorship program.

The program aims to introduce New York City high school students to various career paths in the sports and entertainment industry by hosting weekly sessions throughout the course of a semester in which mentors leading work across departments at MSG Entertainment and MSG Sports provide insight into their role and engage with the students.

This spring, young people had the opportunity to attend sessions with mentors from MSG's Legal,... Read More

On Saturday, June 9, Garden of Dreams performing artists had the opportunity to participate in a music workshop and watch renowned pianist Chloe Flower perform at Lincoln Center in New York City.

To start the day, our aspiring performers arrived at Lincoln Center greeted with a day of musical enrichment and education. Seated by the iconic fountain and newly built disco ball, they participated in a pre-show workshop. During the workshop, the instructors showed them different ways to compose music on a piano and taught them about keys and other components of piano-playing. Following the lessons, the instructors handed out instruments... Read More