New Facility to Aid Hundreds of Homeless Children in New York
July 5, 2006 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release
NEW YORK, July 6, 2006 - WNBA All-Star 2006 will not only showcase the outstanding talent of the best female athletes in the world, but it will also celebrate the WNBA's 10 years of dedicated commitment to its fans and the community.
In honor of New York playing host to the 2006 WNBA All-Star Game on July 12 at Madison Square Garden, WNBA Cares, the league's community outreach initiative has partnered with Toyota to unveil a brand new WNBA Cares "Learn and Play" Center at the Life Shelter, a City-run facility located at 78 Catherine Street in New York City. WNBA All-Stars, basketball legends, executives and local personalities will be on-hand to officially unveil and dedicate the new center on Monday, July 10 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET.
The All-Star Legacy Project is highlighted by the extensive renovations which have been undertaken to improve the facility for the families and provides the donation of books, furniture, TV's, DVD players, computers and additional reading materials. Construction tipped off in June and volunteers, including New York Liberty stars Kelly Schumacher, Loree Moore, Ashley Battle and Keisha Brown and members of the WNBA and NBA family visited the site throughout the month to help with the renovations.
"The WNBA Cares All-Star Legacy project serves as the centerpiece of our community outreach efforts in New York throughout 2006 All-Star week, and once again it demonstrates that the women of the WNBA have an incredible dedication to giving back to their fans and to the community" said Kathy Behrens, Senior Vice President NBA and WNBA Community and Player Programs. "We know that the new WNBA Cares Learn and Play center will bring new educational opportunities and renewed motivation to the hundreds of children that the Life Shelter serves."
Life Shelter offers temporary shelter to homeless families from the New York City area including children ages 5-13. In addition to providing social services to help families who are experiencing homelessness, the facility partners with several not-for-profit and public organizations to provide clients with a variety of programs designed to help minimize the disruption to children's lives and aid parents in transitioning from shelter to permanent housing.
The WNBA "Learn and Play" center will serve as the new site for the Life Shelter's many recreational and educational programs including after school art activities and a library program supported by the New York City Department of Education and designed by local college students who help the children develop their reading skills.
The WNBA All-Star Game is set to take place on July 12, 2006 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Live coverage begins on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 5, 2006
- Lynx daily update - Minnesota Lynx
- Bird and Jackson Named as Starters for 2006 WNBA All-Star Game - Seattle Storm
- Big Week For Liberty Basketball - New York Liberty
- New Facility to Aid Hundreds of Homeless Children in New York - WNBA
- Sun Land League-High Three Starters on WNBA Eastern Conference All-Star Team - Connecticut Sun
- Dawn Staley and Sheryl Swoopes Voted In as All-Star Starters - Houston Comets
- Yolanda Griffith Named Starter for 2006 WNBA All-Star Game - Sacramento Monarchs
- Lauren Jackson Named Player of the Week - WNBA
- WNBA names 2006 All-Star starting lineups - WNBA
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
