Key Takeaways
- • Platinum Equity Founder Tom Gores committed $350,000 to SAY Detroit, with $100,000 specifically earmarked for the St. Cecilia's Gym revitalization project on an eight-acre campus.
- • The St. Cecilia's restoration project, a multi-decade vision of late Detroit Pistons alumnus Earl Cureton, is estimated to cost approximately $10 million and will be transformed into a SAY Detroit Play Center.
- • The donation was announced during SAY Detroit's 14th annual Radiothon, a fundraiser for the nonprofit founded in 2006 by WJR-AM radio host and Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom to address homelessness, healthcare access, and community support in underserved areas.
- • Gores' contribution reflects alignment with Detroit's sports and community infrastructure legacy; Pistons Front Office Associate Dwane Casey represented Gores at the announcement, emphasizing his connection to the late Cureton and the historical significance of St. Cecilia's as a training ground for Detroit basketball talent.
Summary
Tom Gores, founder and CEO of Platinum Equity, has donated $350,000 to SAY Detroit, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing homelessness, healthcare access, and community development in underserved Detroit neighborhoods. The contribution was announced during the organization's 14th annual Radiothon fundraiser and includes a $100,000 allocation specifically supporting the restoration of St. Cecilia's Gym and its surrounding eight-acre campus into a new SAY Detroit Play Center.
The St. Cecilia's project carries significant historical and cultural weight within Detroit's basketball community. The gymnasium served as a training facility where many of the city's legendary basketball figures developed their skills. Earl Cureton, a Detroit native and former Detroit Pistons player, championed the gym's restoration before his death in 2024. Earlier this year, on the one-year anniversary of Cureton's passing, a street adjacent to the gym—at the corner of Livernois Avenue and Stearns Street—was formally renamed Earl Cureton Court in recognition of his advocacy and community contributions.
SAY Detroit founder Mitch Albom, who hosts WJR-AM radio and writes for the Detroit Free Press, coordinated the announcement of the revitalization initiative. Dwane Casey, an associate in the Pistons front office, represented Gores at the fundraiser, stating that "Tom loved Earl Cureton, and he understands the tradition and the legacy of St. Cecilia's." According to Albom, the complete restoration project is projected to cost nearly $10 million. Pistons Vice Chairman Arn Tellem previously honored Cureton's legacy at the street dedication ceremony, acknowledging his role as a franchise ambassador and his broader community impact.
The St. Cecilia's project carries significant historical and cultural weight within Detroit's basketball community. The gymnasium served as a training facility where many of the city's legendary basketball figures developed their skills. Earl Cureton, a Detroit native and former Detroit Pistons player, championed the gym's restoration before his death in 2024. Earlier this year, on the one-year anniversary of Cureton's passing, a street adjacent to the gym—at the corner of Livernois Avenue and Stearns Street—was formally renamed Earl Cureton Court in recognition of his advocacy and community contributions.
SAY Detroit founder Mitch Albom, who hosts WJR-AM radio and writes for the Detroit Free Press, coordinated the announcement of the revitalization initiative. Dwane Casey, an associate in the Pistons front office, represented Gores at the fundraiser, stating that "Tom loved Earl Cureton, and he understands the tradition and the legacy of St. Cecilia's." According to Albom, the complete restoration project is projected to cost nearly $10 million. Pistons Vice Chairman Arn Tellem previously honored Cureton's legacy at the street dedication ceremony, acknowledging his role as a franchise ambassador and his broader community impact.
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