ALLEN PARK — Matthew Stafford spent the last dozen years plowing all kinds of time and money into the Detroit community. Now as his time here comes to a close, he’s pledging one last gift on his way out the door.
Stafford and his wife, Kelly, have donated $1 million to help build a new education center at SAY Detroit, a nonprofit started by Mitch Albom that provides shelter, food, medical care, volunteer efforts and education to students from low-income families in the city. The “Kelly and Matthew Stafford & Friends Education Center” will be a 20,000-square-foot facility with classrooms, labs and vocational training space according to a press release.
The facility will be located in Lipke Park, where the couple has already donated another $1 million to re-open a rec center that had closed due to budget cuts. The football field was renamed Stafford Field in 2015.
“There are not enough words to truly express how grateful we are to have lived here for the past 12 years,” Kelly Stafford said in an Instagram post. “We came here for football, but we are leaving with a sense of home and endearment. Endearment not only for this city and the Lions organization, but a love for the people who make up this community. Detroit has supported our family not only by showing up on Sundays, but also through our most difficult times. You took us in as your own and made Detroit feel like home and that is what it became, our home.
“It has been our goal to always give back to the city. Detroit and its people have blessed us in so many ways, we only hope you have felt our gratitude through our joy of giving back to the city. As we sat down and tried to figure out how to thank you one last time, we felt like words were not sufficient. And so, we have teamed up with Mitch Albom to create an education center that will be attached to the SAY Play Center where Stafford Field is also located. The new building will enable the center to increase its student population who benefit from the center’s academic, athletic and arts programs, and service adults with job training programs, GED classes, and community events. This is the legacy we want to leave behind.”
Matthew Stafford was selected by Detroit with the first overall pick in the 2009 draft. He went on to become the franchise’s all-time leading passer over the last 12 years and set more than 30 records, but requested a trade after last season as the Lions head for another rebuild. The Lions tabled that discussion until after hiring new general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell, then all the parties got together and agreed to pursue a trade.
A week after the Lions put Stafford on the block, they had a trade in place to send the quarterback to the Los Angeles Rams for a third-round pick this year, a first-round pick next year and a first-round round pick in 2022. They also got veteran quarterback Jared Goff in the deal, who is expected to start next season under center.
The trade cannot be finalized until the start of the new league year next month, but Matthew Stafford’s time in Detroit is done. His impact, however, will carry on for years to come in so many ways.
