The WNBA Champion New York Liberty’s third annual “Season of Giving” community outreach was so abundant that it lasted until the middle of January. Started in 2022, the initiative was developed to ensure that the Liberty continues to connect with community partners and corporate sponsors during the off-season.
“The holiday season is also a time where many members of our community need additional support,” said Allie Moogan, the Liberty’s social responsibility manager. “It is important that the Liberty has this authentic connection with the community, especially during the off-season, to showcase our ongoing commitment to New Yorkers.”
Season of Giving encompasses the Liberty’s social responsibility pillars: BEUP (basketball, embracing young women, championing unity, and promoting Pride). The team and 16 corporate partners provided gifts, services, and experiences to community organizations in the five boroughs.
“Our BEUP pillars are at the core of the community work we do,” said Moogan. “Basketball, embracing women and girls, championing unity, and promoting Pride are all inherent to the New York Liberty’s identity. It is important for us to ensure that we continue to build upon these core pillars in collaboration with both our community and corporate partners.”
There was a free basketball clinic for more than 300 kids in lower Manhattan. The young hoopsters received tote bags, T-shirts, Wise chip bags, and Shake Shack vouchers. At another basketball event, Liberty staff visited the Pride Basketball League New York City’s Women’s+ league and distributed assorted cosmetics. Ticketmaster hosted 20 people from the Brave House in a luxury suite at the Barclays Center for a Nets game.
Liberty center Nyara Sabally spent an evening at the Bowery Mission’s emergency shelter in Tribeca. She also attended the basketball clinic and visited pediatric patients at the Hospital for Special Surgery. The Liberty has a long-time association with the Ali Forney Center, the nation’s largest provider of shelter and wraparound services for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, and Liberty staff assembled holiday gift bags with useful gifts.
“Our social responsibility team connects with local organizations to identify the various needs of their communities first-hand,” said Johnna Hayward, senior director of partnership marketing and strategy. “Next, our partnership marketing team connects specific team sponsors that have expressed shared values or areas of focus. Once connected through the Season of Giving program, collaborating with our corporate sponsors provides access to resources that increase the breadth of our impact throughout New York City’s five boroughs.”