Stephanie
Dancing since she was three years old, Stephanie refused to let her December 2015 cancer diagnosis prevent her from pursuing her passion. Determined to use her journey as a platform to educate others about cancer, Stephanie created her own hashtag: #cancermessedwiththewrongdancer. As a girl who loved her hair, she was terrified of losing her locks, but realized that losing her hair made her feel free. Stephanie has learned, “I am imperfectly perfect just the way I am.” While undergoing chemotherapy, Stephanie did not miss one dance practice or competition. Stephanie performed a contemporary piece at Radio City for the 2016 Garden of Dreams Talent Show and... Read More
New York Liberty Girls Empowerment Series presented by Chase
One hundred Garden of Dreams girls were invited to participate in the New York Liberty Girls Empowerment Series presented by Chase! Before hitting the court to practice their basketball skills, the girls had the opportunity to speak with inspirational women including NYL legends Kym Hampton and Teresa Weatherspoon, MSG Networks' Rebecca Haarlow, Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Garden of Dreams Advisory Board member Damaris Lewis.
Read MoreNew York Liberty End-of-Summer BBQ
Garden of Dreams and the New York Liberty hosted an End of Summer BBQ at our partner organization WHEDco and our kids had a blast with NYL players Bec Allen, Brittany Boyd, Shoni Schimmel, Carolyn Swords, Sugar Rodgers, and Shavonte Zellous!
Read MoreLiberty ‘Show Kids New York’: Cupcake Battle
The New York Liberty and Garden of Dreams hosted a Cupcake Battle at Taste Buds Kitchen as part of the "Show Kids NY" program! New York Liberty players Carolyn Swords, Adut Bulgak, Kiah Stokes, and Amanda Zahui B. joined our Garden of Dreams children for an afternoon full of smiles, laughs, and lots of frosting.
Read MoreRachel and Maya
Rachel credits her younger sister Maya as being her unbreakable support system and their bond of singing as a way to help Rachel deal with her surgeries. After seeing her sister in the hospital, Maya now wants to pursue a career in medicine.
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