Marc Roberge and O.A.R Honored with Garden of Dreams Hero Award

The Garden of Dreams Foundation announced tonight that Marc Roberge and O.A.R. are the recipients of the 2018 Garden of Dreams Hero Award. Established in 2009, the Hero Award honors organizations or individuals annually that embody the spirit of the Garden of Dreams Foundation through an active and ongoing dedication to positively impacting the lives of children facing obstacles, while serving as a driving force and inspiration for others.

Roberge and O.A.R. exemplify these values with their tireless commitment to the Garden of Dreams Foundation, of which Roberge became an advisory board member in 2016. The band has brought joy to thousands of children thanks to their enthusiastic involvement in the Foundation's programs. This includes Roberge and O.A.R.'s instrumental role in the creation and execution of the Foundation's first-ever benefit concert, Concert for Dreams, which took place this evening. Marc and O.A.R. received the award during the event. Additionally, Roberge has been an active participant in Garden of Dreams programming including as a mentor to performers for the annual Garden of Dreams Talent Show, which gives more than 150 children the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform on the Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall. In June, Roberge and O.A.R. brought the children they mentored for Talent Show onstage at Jones Beach Theater to perform their hit song "Peace" with the band.

"We are honored to present the Hero Award to Marc and O.A.R. As a New Yorker, Marc heard about the work that our Foundation was doing to brighten the lives of children and asked if there was anything he could do to help our kids," said Barry Watkins, Chairman of the Garden of Dreams Foundation. "A year and a half later, Marc and O.A.R. put together the historic two-part Concert for Dreams event where first, 2,500 children from the Foundation attended a star-studded afternoon show, and then, a sold-out crowd enjoyed this evening's concert, which raised more than $1 million. We are so fortunate that Marc and O.A.R. are a part of the GDF family."

Past recipients of the Garden of Dreams Hero Award include New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, tennis legend Andre Agassi, Rangers great Adam Graves, Emmy Award-winning producer Rory Rosegarten, legendary artist Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, model Damaris Lewis and Knicks broadcaster and Today Show contributor Jill Martin.

Over the course of a long and diverse career with Roberge as frontman, O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) transformed from an indie college band to a chart-topper. With 13 albums, two Madison Square Garden sellouts, USO trips to Iraq and Kuwait, millions of albums sold and concerts around the world, Roberge and O.A.R. continue to cover new ground creatively. In 2016, the band marked their 20th anniversary with the release of their most recent album, "XX," a career-spanning collection that shines a light on key moments from O.A.R.'s history and features two new songs written and recorded during the captivating six-part docu-series "Evolution of a Song." O.A.R. kicks off 2018 with the release of a new single, "Just Like Paradise," and the announcement of a national summer tour.

The Garden of Dreams Foundation is a non-profit organization that works with The Madison Square Garden Company and MSG Networks Inc. to make dreams come true for children facing obstacles. Since the Foundation began in 2006, this collaboration has brightened the lives of more than 350,000 children and their families.

Garden of Dreams works with 30 partner organizations throughout the tristate area, including hospitals, wish organizations and community-based organizations, to reach children who are facing challenges such as homelessness, extreme poverty, illness and foster care. The Foundation takes pride in its commitment to truly change lives, hosting more than 500 events and programs each year such as its annual Talent Show and Prom.

In addition, through its Giving program, the Foundation helps its partner organizations through the direct support of scholarships and long-lasting community projects such as the refurbishment of pediatric areas at local hospitals, basketball courts and community centers - with plans for many more vital civic enhancements in the years to come.

Concert for Dreams was the first-ever benefit concert in support of the Garden of Dreams Foundation. The two-part event included an evening fundraising concert at the Beacon Theatre featuring O.A.R. and special guests Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, co-founder of Run-DMC and Garden of Dreams Board member; Gavin DeGraw; Robert Randolph; Adam Duritz of Counting Crows; Nate Ruess of fun.; John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls and Matt Nathanson. All net proceeds went directly to Garden of Dreams. There was also a dedicated Garden of Dreams kids concert this afternoon hosted by Elvis Duran of Z100 and featuring O.A.R. with Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Gavin DeGraw, Rachel Crow and Grace Vanderwaal.

For more information on the Garden of Dreams Foundation, the programs it runs, and the children it serves, please visit www.GardenofDreamsFoundation.org

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