From the height of his playing days as an All-Star shooting guard for the New York Knicks, John Starks has been deeply involved in charity work.
Starks, who attended four colleges in four years and went undrafted, knows how difficult it is to find tuition money. This led him to establish the John Starks Foundation in 1994, providing scholarships to high school seniors in the tri-state area and his hometown of Tulsa, OK.
When the Garden of Dreams Foundation was formed in 2006, Starks jumped at the chance to become a board member.
“It’s kind of instilled in me at a young age,” Starks told amNewYork. “And so when I got in position, obviously, being a popular player, I said, ‘You know what, let me see what I wanted to do in order to help people.’”
Starks speaks on 12th annual Garden of Dreams Week
This week, in partnership with the MSG family of companies, the Garden of Dreams Foundation is hosting its 12th annual Garden of Dreams Week. The foundation will host several events to raise awareness and funds in support of its mission to provide life-changing opportunities for young people in the Tri-State Area.
Starks always looks forward to Garden of Dreams week. Heading into the holiday season, he said he enjoys providing extra joy to families.
“We know how much it means to families during this time,” he said. “Because a lot of families definitely are needing to have a little help and a little joy during this time of the year.”
Garden of Dreams Week programming is taking place throughout the week, as the foundation partners with the Knicks, New York Rangers, and the Radio City Rockettes. Events include a toy drive at the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular, the Rangers’ and Knicks’ respective Garden of Dreams nights at Madison Square Garden, and the Rangers’ annual “Toys For Tots” toy drive.
The Knicks’ Day of Cheer takes place Saturday, where Knicks captain Jalen Brunson will surprise six families from the Garden of Dreams Adopt-A-Family program and DREAM Charter School to provide gifts. Two players and a Knicks alumnus will also surprise a group of youth in the Bronx with holiday presents and participate in a Jr. Knicks clinic teaching basketball fundamentals.
MSG Networks will host Knicks and Rangers sweepstakes, where fans can donate $100 to the Garden of Dreams Foundation for a chance to win prizes ranging from signed team memorabilia to game tickets and meet-and-greets with alumni or MSG Networks talent.
“This is the most charitable arm of the Garden,” Starks said. “We do it out of love, because the community has given so much to us as an organization, and so we just want to do our part and helping the community and kind of ease some of the burden that’s on families during this time of the year.”
The emotions of visiting and surprising families
Asked to name his favorite part of the week, Starks didn’t hesitate to talk about the families he’s impacted during the holidays.
“When I was growing up, we didn’t have a lot of presents underneath the tree,” Starks said. “That was the most difficult thing as a child that you have to deal with, knowing that other families and other kids have presents.”
Last year, as part of Garden of Dreams Week, Starks, Larry Johnson, Marcus Camby, Wilson Chandler, and John Wallace served meals to approximately 100 people who gathered at the Garden of Dreams partner organization, Harlem Dowling-West Side Center’s Emergency Food Pantry. The alumni surprised a family of twin boys with every gift that was on their holiday wish lists.
Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces and how thankful they were brought a tear to Starks’ eye.
“It kind of hit home,” he said. “And when you bring that type of joy to a family, especially kids, it’s the most rewarding thing that you can do during this time of the year.”
Foundation programming extends beyond Season of Giving
The Garden of Dreams Foundation has been hosting events and programming throughout the entire Season of Giving.
In November, current players and alumni of the Knicks and Rangers participated in Thanksgiving dinners with hundreds of families from Garden of Dreams partner Department of Homeless Services. Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson partnered with the foundation for a turkey meal giveaway in Harlem.
The Garden of Dreams Foundation has impacted more than 440,000 young people and their families since its inception.
“We just want people to understand what we do as an organization and how much we are invested in the community and making sure that we’re doing our part as an organization to give back,” Starks said.
