NEW YORK, December 8, 2006 -- The start of the 2006-07 basketball season marked a new beginning for the Knicks Community Relations Department. Following a summer of extensive planning and organizing, the Knicks began to focus their community outreach efforts on assisting children in need. In partnership with the Garden of Dreams Foundation, the Knicks have dedicated themselves to providing support for struggling children across the Tri-State area.

The Knicks wasted no time kicking off the holiday season as they partnered with Garden of Dreams and City Harvest to host food drives in-arena to help battle childhood hunger in New York City. Fans attending a Knicks home game at Madison Square Garden between November 13 and December 13 were encouraged to donate canned food or non-perishable items to aid in the fight. Additionally, several Knicks players including: Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, David Lee, Eddy Curry, Steve Francis, Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins all volunteered their time by participating in the Knicks and Garden of Dreams “Autographs for Food” events held in December at Whole Foods Market locations throughout the Tri-State area.

After the month-long food drive and Autographs for Food events, Knicks players are now gearing up to personally deliver the collected items to some of the 500 community food programs served by City Harvest. Knicks players scheduled to participate in the delivery of collected items include Channing Frye, Stephon Marbury, Jared Jeffries, Kelvin Cato, Steve Francis and Mardy Collins.

One of the many agencies receiving a special delivery from the Knicks is Children’s Village in Westchester County. Children’s Village, a group home for boys and young men in Dobb’s Ferry, provides safety and shelter to some of society’s most at risk children. Knicks players Quentin Richardson, Jamal Crawford, Jerome James, Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins will visit Children’s Village on January 23 and host a private basketball clinic for the children. Following the clinic, Knicks players will visit the cottages where the boys live and have dinner with them before returning to The Garden the next night to host the Phoenix Suns.

Quentin Richardson will return to Children’s Village on February 8 with teammates Steve Francis and David Lee to celebrate the unveiling of a new “Student Council Room” in The Village. In partnership with the Garden of Dreams Foundation, the Knicks have teamed up to refurbish the room where students can explore educational resources and address student-body concerns.

The Knicks Poetry Slam program also continues in the New Year as the Knicks host the Knicks Poetry Slam Finals on January 25, 2006 at Madison Square Garden. The Finals will feature the top-20 poets from the Knicks Poetry Slam Open Audition held this past December. The Open Audition also included the first-ever Knicks College Expo and community fair which featured 30 area colleges and universities, performances by the Knicks City Kids, guest appearances by Stephon Marbury and Knicks legend John Starks, Power 105.1 DJ DejaVu and performances from several area community groups.

At the Poetry Slam Finals, five winners will perform in front of a panel of celebrity judges including Knicks star point guard, Stephon Marbury, a sponsor of the program. Other celebrities scheduled to attend include rap artists, Ja Rule and Fat Joe. Each of the five winners will be awarded educational grants; top prize includes a $5,000 scholarship, laptop computers and printers.