When opportunity knocks, you have to open the door. The folks at Madison Square Garden offered us a way to entertain youth in foster care and their parents and guardians while also giving us a premium platform to spread the word about the benefits of foster care. So on May 31, before the New York Liberty took on the defending WNBA champs, the Minnesota Lynx, more than two hundred members of the Children’s Aid converged on the most famous sports arena in the world.

Most importantly, the kids had a great time. A group was able to get special access to the pregame shoot-around.  Another dozen were on the floor for the national anthem before taking part in a special ceremony—each team member handed one of our kids an official Liberty basketball. Finally, Amy Carpio, one of our youth, got to serve as a ball girl during the actual game.

Topping it off, we made contact with a number of people who expressed interest in becoming a foster parent via a table set up on the main concourse.

It was a great night—despite a Liberty loss—as evidenced by the many smiling faces leaving the Garden that night.