The Staffords were back in the Motor City this past weekend to see a promise they made to the people of Detroit become a reality.

Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and his wife Kelly returned to Detroit Friday to help break ground on an incredible new education center, a center the couple pledged to support when they left for Los Angeles. The new center is an addition to the SAY Detroit Play Center.

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We told you back in February 2021 that the Staffords had made the commitment to give $1 million to help build a new education center with SAY Detroit, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students from low-income families overcome literacy inequalities and educational challenges.

“We jumped at the opportunity to be a part of that first center that is this beautiful place right now,” Matthew Stafford told Click on Detroit. “I’m just so proud to see where that is going, how many kids that it’s affected in such a positive way, and I’m so excited to be a part of this next venture as well.”

The center named "The Kelly and Matthew Stafford & Friends Education Center" is part of a major expansion at the center, which was opened in 2015 by Albom's nonprofit SAY Detroit.  Designed for Detroit kids ages 8-18, the center will include six classrooms, learning labs, and vocational training space, according to a release, and its anticipated 20,000-square-foot facility will also have an auditorium. It's set to be completed in 2023.

It's no secret that Detroit holds a special place in the couple's heart, and always will.

"You will always remember Matthew Stafford as a Detroit Lions quarterback, but our hope is that you will also remember our family for our love of the Detroit community and its people", Kelly Stafford said on her Instagram after the project was announced. 

Matthew Stafford also took some time to catch a baseball game while in town as well. He was there to cheer on Miguel Cabrera as he made history with his 3000th career hit. The Detroit Tigers shared a picture of the two with the caption, "Pictured: Two Detroit legends."  Yes, indeed.

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