SAY Detroit had a surprise in store during its 14th annual fundraiser.

The charity founded by Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom announced plans for a new SAY Detroit Play Center on the city’s west side during its annual radiothon, taking place on Thursday, Dec. 11. The after-school educational center will be built on the campus of St. Cecilia’s church, which includes the historic St. Cecilia gym, also known as the Mecca of Detroit basketball.

The new facility will be called the SAY Detroit Play Center at St. Cecilia.

This will be the organization’s second play center, with the first opening in 2015 along Van Dyke Avenue on the city’s east side. The center provides educational and recreational opportunities for kids from 8-18 at Lipke Park.

The announcement was made during the foundation’s 15-hour radiothon, which raises money for SAY Detroit and other affiliated charities. Last year’s radiothon raised a record $2.23 million, with the fundraiser bringing in over $16.5 million in total since it was launched in 2012.

SAY Detroit was founded in 2006 by Albom and operates the play center and free family health clinic, along with providing a housing program for Detroit families and other direct efforts with the community.

It’s a new era for the city of Detroit and for Mary Sheffield, the youngest person ever elected to the Detroit City Council and the city’s youngest city council president.

Now, Sheffield is the first woman elected mayor of Detroit. 

“I was told by the current mayor that it may take some time to fully sink in, but, very excited, very honored, and just tons of support from the community,” Sheffield said. 

The mayor-elect also has people in her corner from outside of the community, including former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“I was very humbled that she took the time to call me,” Sheffield said. “She encouraged me to make sure I take it all in and to prioritize the things that matter to everyday Detroiters, and just gave me a lot of advice and encouragement as a woman, going into office.”

Being Detroit’s first woman mayor comes with added pressure. 

“You just don’t want to let people down,” Sheffield said. “Being the first, you want to set the tone, and you want to set a high standard that, while I may be the first, I’m not the last.”

Sheffield says politics wasn’t always the plan, but public service is in her blood. 

“As a young girl, I used to march with Dick Gregory and Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. I was 10 years old, and, my entire life, I was molded by both my mother and my father to serve the community,” she said. 

Sheffield says Detroit hired her to do one thing above all: keep the momentum going and make sure every neighborhood feels it. It’s why Sheffield named her transition team “Rise Higher Detroit,” and set up shop at the Marygrove Conservancy in the Fitzgerald Neighborhood. 

“We have 18 committees focused on infrastructure and housing and public safety, transit, all of the topics that we heard directly from Detroiters throughout the campaign,” she said.

Those 18 committees are building an action plan for Sheffield’s first 100 days in office. 

“We’re really big on this administration being able to deliver day one for our residents,” Sheffield said.

Challenges are ahead for Detroit. By the end of 2026, millions of dollars in pandemic-era federal funding will stop flowing to the city. Several programs like Community Violence Intervention and down payment assistance depend on that money. 

“We’re having those discussions now to figure out what programs have been the most impactful and looking at ways that we can supplement that funding with the private sector, philanthropic support, and other means as well,” Sheffield said. 

Sheffield will enter office under a microscope, as ethics questions have surfaced from her time on the city council. Sheffield says she’s taking steps to address those questions. 

“We actually have an ethics committee, which is chaired by Elliott Hall, our former inspector general. And so they’ll be making recommendations on ways that we can improve ethics not only within our administration, but within the entire city,” she said. 

The job will be demanding, and the days long, but Sheffield says she relies on family and quiet moments to recharge. 

“Quietness, you know, no television, no TV, reading a book, chilling out with my family. I mean, that is always a relaxing time for myself. I don’t have much of that these days, but it’s definitely something that I enjoy,” she said. 

Down the road, if there’s one thing Sheffield hopes Detroiters say about their mayor in the Sheffield era, it’s this:

“She was always for the people. She improves the quality of life for our city, and she put our neighborhoods first. Most importantly is that she left the city better when she was here than when it was before,” Sheffield said.