NEW YORK (Dec. 21, 2023) – The New York Liberty completed their second annual “Season of Giving” community giveback campaign where throughout this holiday season, the team and 11 of their corporate partners provided exclusive gifts and experiences to community organizations across the five boroughs of New York City.
Season of Giving encompasses each of the Liberty’s social responsibility pillars with the belief that service is at the heart of community building. Growing youth Basketball, Embracing young women, championing Unity, and promoting Pride are all pillars of the Liberty’s social responsibility platform BEUP, and this holiday season the Liberty and their corporate partners supported the community in the following ways:
BASKETBALL
Ticketmaster, the Official Ticketing Partner of the Liberty, hosted a group of 16 young people from Sadie Nash Leadership Project in a luxury suite to experience the Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Center on Dec. 2. As part of the evening, 2023 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart in partnership with PUMA, surprised the group by gifting youth participants each a pair of Stewart’s latest signature shoe, The PUMA Stewie 2’s, as part of the evening’s celebrations. Sadie Nash Leadership Project uses popular education to strengthen, empower, and equip young women and gender-expansive youth of color as agents of change in their lives and in the world.
Additionally, the Liberty hosted a free basketball clinic presented by CarMax for over 100 children with New Heights Youth, Inc. at the Major R. Owens Community Center in Brooklyn. CarMax gifted attendees with t-shirts, tote bags, water bottles, and portable phone chargers. New Heights combines basketball programming with resources to better prepare underserved youth to get into college and transition into adulthood. To support young girls in sports, Best Trails & Travel, the Official Team Travel Bus of the Liberty, transported 28 athletes from MS 223 The Laboratory School of Finance & Technology in the Bronx to attend the clinic. The partnership continues to support organizations across the five boroughs to ensure youth have accessible transportation to attend community-building events throughout New York City.
EMBRACE
The Liberty and M.M.LaFleur hosted a Lunch and Learn professional development day for 25 aspiring women professionals at the Manhattan office of Bottomless Closet – a NYC based organization that provides free resources and tools to empower disadvantaged women across New York City to enter the workforce and succeed. The event featured a panel with New York Liberty CEO, Keia Clarke, and M.M.LaFleur CEO, Sarah LaFleur, discussing their career experiences and advice for working in both sports and fashion. Webull, the Official Marquee Jersey Partner of the Liberty, collaborated to further support this event by donating tote bags, notebooks, pens, portfolio folders, and compact mirrors for all attendees.
UNITY
On Dec. 9, Breanna Stewart spent the afternoon volunteering at The Bowery Mission’s annual holiday coat drive. Liberty partner, Snipes, helped give back to the community through the event by donating 300 coats for New Yorkers in need. The Bowery Mission serves vulnerable New Yorkers and provides services that meet their immediate needs and aims to transform their lives.
Xbox gifted a community organization in each borough, who were identified by the New York Liberty, a Xbox Series S Console, a Xbox Wireless Controller, and 12-months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to support youth programming.
- Manhattan: Henry Street Settlement provides opportunities for Lower East Side residents and other New Yorkers through social services, arts, and health care programs.
- Queens: Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens offers children a safe haven to learn, play, and grow into tomorrow’s leaders.
- Brooklyn: Good Shepherd Services at the Prince Joshua Avitto Center provides opportunities for individuals across New York City to thrive at school, at home, and in their community.
- Bronx: The Bowery Mission serves vulnerable New Yorkers and provides services that meet their immediate needs and aims to transform their lives.
- Staten Island: United Activities Unlimited at the Berry Homes Cornerstone Community Center provides resources and dynamic programming for individuals of all ages across Staten Island.
PRIDE
Hero Cosmetics donated 300 Hero Mighty Patches and NYX Professional Makeup donated an assortment of fan-favorite lip products for the Ali Forney Center, the nation’s largest provider of shelter and wrap around services dedicated to homeless LGBTQ+ youth. New York Liberty staff also volunteered to help assemble holiday gift bags for the center’s residents.
Withings, a global leader in connected health, donated 15 connected health monitoring products including smart scales, blood pressure monitors, and thermometers to SAGE residents. The New York Liberty identified SAGE as the recipient for these products as SAGE is the largest and oldest non-profit organization that advocates and serves LGBTQ+ elders throughout New York City.