June 6, 2015 – Detroit, MI – Nearly 50 volunteers spent the morning cleaning up and clearing out the new S.A.Y. (Sports Academics Youth) Play Center near 7 Mile and Van Dyke, current site of the closed Lipke Recreation Center.
Slated to open in the fall, the S.A.Y. Play Center at Lipke Park will serve students aged 8-18 with everything from a state-of-the-art digital learning center and recording studio to professional grade baseball, football, soccer, and lacrosse fields. Students who regularly attend school and who maintain at least a 3.0 GPA will be able to participate in activities at the center. Any who fall short can join in once they begin a tutoring program that will also be offered.
Says Mitch Albom, who created the rec center through his S.A.Y. Detroit charity in partnership with Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s Score7 Charitable Fund, “Thanks to our volunteers, we’re a lot closer to making this center a reality. We’re excited to be able to offer students a safe place where they can study and play. We want to help them maintain a high level of academic and social excellence now that will hopefully serve them in college and beyond.”
Volunteers washed walls, mirrors, counters, lockers, and floors and removed many large items that won’t be needed. Special thanks to Aloha Al’s Mobile Pet Grooming for donating clean-up supplies and to volunteer Perry Gold for overseeing trash removal.
For more information on the S.A.Y. Play Center, visit: sayplay.org
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