March 15, 2012, New York, NY – The Garden of Dreams Foundation announced today that Darryl “DMC” McDaniels has been named Creative Director of the 2012 Garden of Dreams Talent Show taking place on Thursday, April 5, 2012 at Radio City Music Hall. McDaniels was named to the Foundation’s Board of Directors in August 2011 after participating in various Garden of Dreams events and proving to be a great role model for the children. As Creative Director, McDaniels will mentor and work closely with the children on their performances, and assist in shaping the overall run of the show while incorporating this year’s theme, “Dream Big.”

McDaniels has worked with Garden of Dreams over the past year by supporting the Foundation through various events including mentoring children at last year’s Garden of Dreams Talent Show, Fuse Rocks the Classroom, and Dream Week.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the Garden of Dreams Talent Show again this year, and play an even bigger role working with the children on their performances and shaping the show,” said McDaniels. “For them to be able to come and perform at Radio City Music Hall, when I had to wait almost half of a lifetime to do it, is a beautiful thing to see and a blessing to be a part of.”

“Darryl brought so much enthusiasm and spirit to last year’s talent show that we are honored that he will be Creative Director of this year’s show,” said Kristine Burton, Vice President, Community Relations. “As a pioneer of hip-hop, Darryl spent years performing on stages around the world. He will be an incredible mentor to the children while working to bring out the best in their performances. We are really looking forward to collaborating with him on the talent show, which is one of the most important events we do throughout the year.”

McDaniels is one of the pioneers of hip hop music, a founding member of the popular group RUN DMC, a 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a Congressional Angels in Adoption Award recipient for his work with children in foster care and promotion of adoption. He also co-founded the Felix Organization, a non-profit that helps provide foster children the opportunity to attend summer camp, Camp Felix, every year. For more information on Darryl McDaniels, visit his official website at www.me-dmc.com.

The Garden of Dreams Talent Show will be held on Thursday, April 5 at 7pm at Radio City Music Hall. The event is free and open to the public. For more information about Garden of Dreams and the Garden of Dreams Talent show, visit: www.GardenofDreamsFoundation.org.

Garden of Dreams strives to be heroic, inspirational and unforgettable – all attributes of the children the Foundation has had the privilege to meet over the course of its history. Partnering with a diverse collection of outstanding children’s related organizations – from hospitals, to foster organizations, to homeless shelters and “wish” organizations, the Garden of Dreams Foundation has a singular goal each and every day – to utilize the power and magic of The Madison Square Garden Company and its properties to bring joy and happiness to children facing devastating problems – whether they relate to illness, homelessness, poverty, foster care issues or tragedy.

About Garden of Dreams Foundation
Garden of Dreams is a 501c3 non-profit charity that works closely with all areas of The Madison Square Garden Company, including the New York Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, MSG Media, MSG Entertainment and Fuse to make dreams come true for kids facing obstacles. Since its inception in 2006, the Foundation has created once in a lifetime experiences at The Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the MSG Training Center, Fuse and the Beacon Theatre for more than 200,000 tri-state area children facing obstacles. Nearly 175,000 tickets have been donated to organizations served by Garden of Dreams and more than 2,300 special events have been designed for children and families.