Community Projects
Garden of Dreams makes annual investments to support meaningful improvements that enhance spaces for the young people its Foundation Partners serve including gymnasiums, dance studios, media labs and pediatric healthcare facilities. Check out photos from a few of our most recent projects that highlight the impact of our community projects!
NBA 75th Anniversary Legacy Project Basketball Court at The Children’s Village
The New York Knicks, NBA, Squarespace, and the Garden of Dreams Foundation all came together for this $150,000 Legacy Project refurbishment to use the power of basketball to create a lasting positive impact at The Children’s Village, located in Dobbs Ferry, NY. This basketball court provides critical recreation and practice space for the youth in The Children’s Village’s Residential Programs who may be in foster care or are justice-involved. This project also included a custom mural which represents the essence of how each partner seeks to serve local communities: by building bridges and bringing people together through basketball.
Court (After)
Court (Before)
Court (After)
Court (Before)
SCO Family of Services Early Childhood Education Center Gardens
Garden of Dreams provided $46,000 in funding to create garden spaces at SCO Family of Services’ five Early Childhood Education Centers (ECECs) throughout Brooklyn and Queens. SCO Family of Services’ ECECs provide three and four-year-old children with their first educational touchpoints and enable them to gain outdoor classroom experience and hands-on learning opportunities. Located in under-resourced communities of Central Brooklyn and Queens, SCO Family of Services ECECs provide support to vulnerable families and strengthen their abilities to succeed in the future.
Photos below are from the SCO Early Childhood Education Garden in Queens, NY.
Garden (After)
Garden (Before)
Garden (After)
Garden (Before)
SCAN-Harbor Reverend T. Wendell Foster Recreation Center
Garden of Dreams provided $1.3 million in funding to refurbish the SCAN-Harbor Reverend T. Wendell Foster Recreation Center located in the South Bronx, which provides a variety of integrated support to the highest risk children and families. The enhancements included floor-to-ceiling updates and furnishing of the lobby, gymnasium, stage, library and additional spaces throughout the center plus HVAC installation.
Gym (After Renovation)
Gym (Before Renovation)
Lobby (After Renovation)
Lobby (Before Renovation)
Library (After Renovation)
Library (Before Renovation)
Police Athletic League William J. Duncan Center
Located in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen, the PAL Duncan Center received $300,000 in funds from the Garden of Dreams Foundation to refurbish the second floor of their community center which included new flooring, lighting, furniture and technology. The PAL Duncan Center provides recreational, educational, cultural, mentoring and socialization activities that help develop youth into productive members of society.
Activity Room (After)
Activity Room (Before)
Technology Center (After)
Technology Center (Before)
Madison Square Boys & Girls Club Notes for Notes Music Studios
Supporting Madison Square Boys & Girls Club Clubhouses located in Harlem, Brooklyn and the Bronx, Garden of Dreams invested $1.9 million in funding to support the construction and programming expenses for a Notes for Notes Music Studio in all five Madison Square Boys & Girls Club Clubhouses. The music studios are invaluable for youth learning about professional musicianship and others careers in the industry as well as serving as a pipeline of talent for the annual Garden of Dreams Talent Show at Radio City Music Hall.
Photos below are from the Grimm Clubhouse in the Fordham section of the Bronx.
Clubhouse (After)
Clubhouse (Before)
Clubhouse (After)
Clubhouse (Before)
Since 2006, Garden of Dreams has invested more than $11 million in community projects to support Foundation Partners.
Community Projects Testimonials
“On a weekly basis, 1,500 South Bronx young people enjoy the myriad of programs available to them at our brand-new Reverend T. Wendell Foster Recreation Center. Without the profound support SCAN-Harbor has received from Garden of Dreams, this center would now be closed. The Garden of Dreams is a powerful positive force in the lives of our South Bronx young folk!”
– Lew Zuchman, Executive Director, SCAN-Harbor
“Our community at The Children’s Village is so grateful to the Garden of Dreams Foundation, the New York Knicks, NBA, and Squarespace for refurbishing our Rose Cottage basketball court. Having a beautiful state-of-the-art court is a gift for young people. A place for fun, exercise and relationship building! For almost two decades, Garden of Dreams has invested in our youth bringing beauty, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and love. Whether that’s through this beautiful basketball court, the Technology Hub, the Recording Studio, or the annual Talent Show. You always make magic happen. Thank you!”
– Jeremy Kohomban, President and CEO, The Children’s Village