Inwood, NY – Women’s basketball icon and New York native Nancy Lieberman joined
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, State Senator Todd Kaminsky, County Legislator Carrié Solages and local youth athletes today in Inwood Park to unveil the first of five “Dream Courts” to be installed in County parks. The new state-of-the art basketball courts are courtesy of the Nancy Lieberman Foundation as part of their Dream Courts initiative, providing children in underserved communities quality places to play. The donation to the County, valued at $325,000, is thanks to an introduction from Senator Kaminsky to Nancy Lieberman.
“I am honored and humbled by this gracious donation from basketball icon Nancy Lieberman – a true pioneer for women’s sports whose contributions extend far beyond the court,” said County Executive Laura Curran. “Through the pandemic, we saw just how important group sports are for our youth. These new state-of-the-art basketball courts will be a gamechanger for our communities, providing more safe places to build friendships, build confidence and compete throughout our cherished County parks. I thank Senator Todd Kaminsky for the introduction to Nancy and her incredible organization which led to this generous gift.”
“Basketball legend Nancy Lieberman confronted adversity and worked hard to become a professional athlete and coach — but she never forgot where she came from. Her amazing gift will provide our children with a safe place to recreate and foster a lifelong love of basketball and teamwork,” said Senator Todd Kaminsky. “When Nancy reached out to me about this opportunity, I knew right away that the children of Nassau County could benefit from her foundation’s generosity.”
“This beautiful Dream Court adds new luster to Inwood Park, which is already one of the hidden gems of Nassau County’s park system,” said Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages. “We are all so grateful for Nancy Lieberman’s for this generous contribution - one I know that will bring great enjoyment to our community’s families and youth for years to come.”
In addition to Inwood Park, North Woodmere Park and Wantagh Park have been identified as sites for the new courts and are expected to be installed by spring 2022. The County is exploring Eisenhower Park, Nickerson Beach and Five Towns Community Center for the two remaining locations. The nonprofit will undertake the construction and installation of the courts at the five locations while the County is responsible for maintaining them once installed
Nancy Lieberman Charities has previously donated two Dream Courts to the City of Long Beach which was installed in 2015 at the Long Beach Recreation Center and refurbished in 2018.
“I couldn’t be happier to be adding to all that Nassau County does for children. To have Dream Courts in areas that I grew up playing is one of the most wonderful things that I believe that we can give back to communities that enriched us as young people. I look forward to the partnership,” said Basketball Hall of Famer and Nancy Lieberman Charities Founder, Nancy Lieberman.
Through the Nancy Lieberman Foundation’s Dream Court™ program, Nancy Lieberman is able to fulfill her dream of building high-quality basketball courts in underserved areas. The goal of the Dream Court program is to provide children in economically disadvantaged communities with a safe area to play basketball, participate in free basketball clinics, interact socially, and learn important lessons about teamwork and good sportsmanship. The foundation also supports many programs including “Cops and Kids” initiative, STEM and Civic Engagement programming.