A once-in-a-generation opportunity has opened the door for SAY Detroit to rebuild, reimagine, and reinvest in the iconic St. Cecilia School and Gym—affectionately known by Detroit basketball legends as “The Saint.”
SAY Detroit has launched a transformative investment in Detroit’s future: the acquisition and redevelopment of the historic St. Cecilia campus into a state-of-the-art youth development, academic enrichment, leadership, and recreation center serving the city’s west side. This bold project, funded by a multimillion-dollar campaign announced at the 2025 Radiothon, will restore one of Detroit’s most iconic cultural spaces and convert it into a modern, high impact resource for thousands of young people and families — replicating the success of the SAY Detroit Play Center at Lipke Park, opened in 2015.
Bring the secret to a 100% graduation rate to Detroit’s west side
COMING 2028
Committed to honoring this historic campus while bringing it back to life as a vibrant community hub focused on academic growth, workforce readiness, healthy youth development, and long-term neighborhood stability, SAY Detroit’s ambitious vision for the project — 25 classrooms, over 25,000 square feet of learning space on a combined 8 acres (approximate) of space — includes multiple purpose-built spaces to support academic growth, workforce readiness, healthy youth development, and community stability.
Crain’s Detroit: Historic St. Cecilia’s gym to get second life thanks to Mitch Albom’s nonprofit and ex-Microsoft CEO
SAY Detroit Unveils Plans For St. Cecilia With Major Gift From Ballmer
SAY Detroit gratefully acknowledges the following major gifts
- $5 million from Steve and Connie Ballmer, founder of the Ballmer Group and owner of NBA’s LA Clippers
- $1 million from Roger Penske, founder and chairman, Penske Corp.
- $1 million from Huntington Bank
- $1 million from Wayne and Joan Webber Foundation
- $100,000 from Holly and Tom Gores, founder and CEO of Platinum Equity and owner of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons