FARMINGTON HILLS, MICH. — The Kirk Gibson Foundation has opened The Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness at 31440 Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills. Those impacted with Parkinson’s can access a wide range of activity-based and educational programs free of charge at the 32,000-square-foot facility.
Construction began in March. The project involved the transformation of an office building for an automotive organization into the wellness center. The two-level building offers programs that focus on movement and cognitive therapy. The center also houses the headquarters for the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s, which moved its offices into the facility. The project was completed in partnership with the Detroit office of architectural firm Gensler.
The center is located within a 30-minute driving radius from 70 percent of the Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, providing access to an estimated 8,000 people living with Parkinson’s in metro Detroit. Nearly 900 individuals have already registered for the center, with more than 300 members onboard and over 200 now actively participating in classes.
The interior features a large gathering hall with an overhead oval walk/run track, a gym for strength and cardio, a boxing therapy zone, various rooms dedicated to targeted exercises such as yoga, general fitness areas and a multipurpose gym.
Most of the center’s activity-based programs were developed by InMotion, a Cleveland-based company that tailors programs for people with Parkinson’s. The center will also have direct collaboration with the Michigan Parkinson Foundation.
EPIC Fitness Group, a Planet Fitness franchise division, donated a range of cardio and strength equipment for the center. A baseball-themed donor wall honors contributions. The opening of the center is made possible by Gibson and his foundation as well as a lead gift from Marian Ilitch. Gibson, a former professional baseball player and manager, formed the foundation after his diagnosis with Parkinson’s in 2015. He spent most of his career with the Detroit Tigers.