Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness celebrates opening

The Kirk Gibson Foundation proudly hosted the official grand opening ribbon-cutting celebration on Monday for The Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness, a first-of-its-kind facility in Michigan.

Located at 31440 Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills, the center is a world-class facility providing a supportive community where those impacted by Parkinson’s can access a wide range of activity-based and educational programs, completely free of charge.

Construction on the state-of-the-art facility began in March and was transformed from an office building for an automotive organization to the state’s only stand-alone wellness center focused on Parkinson’s.

The 32,000-square-foot facility spans two levels, each offering distinct programs that focus on movement and cognitive therapy.

‘More than a building’

“The opening of this Parkinson’s Center is more than just a building, it’s a center of hope and provides a sense of community for everyone in the battle with Parkinson’s”, said Kirk Gibson, founder of the Kirk Gibson Foundation and Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness.

“This has been part of my mission, and I am honored to be able to open the doors and welcome everyone to our center where they can empower each other in a place filled with comfort and support”.

The Center also houses the headquarters for the Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson’s, which moved its offices into the Center to further provide combined team support.

The renovation was in partnership with the Detroit-based team and the world’s most influential architecture, design and planning firm, Gensler.

With the goal of creating a Center that provides physical, emotional, and social support for those living with Parkinson’s, Gensler designed the new facility’s thoughtful applications of color and patterns, as well as light levels, creating spaces that are accessible, navigable, and spacious throughout the Center.

Easy access for people throughout SE Michigan

The Center is strategically and intentionally located within a 30-minute driving radius from 70 percent of the Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, providing access to an estimated 8,000 living with Parkinson’s in metro Detroit.

The Center anticipates as many as 70,000 visits annually and in its first month of full operations, will offer approximately 75 hours of weekly programming, providing much-needed physical, emotional and social support to those living with the disease and their caregivers.

Since initially announcing the Center was opening back in 2024, there has been remarkable interest from the Parkinson’s community, where the demand to join has already far exceeded early expectations.

Nearly 900 individuals have already registered, with more than 300 members onboarded and over 200 now actively participating in classes.

This extraordinary response has confirmed what Kirk Gibson envisioned: a place where members are not only accessing resources, but also building a culture and community of their own.

Movement Matters concept

Guided by a “Movement Matters” concept, the barrier-free interior features a large gathering hall with an overhead 360-degree oval walk/run track; a gym for strength and cardio; a boxing therapy zone; various rooms dedicated to targeted exercises such as yoga, tai chi, Pilates, and dance; general fitness areas, as well as a full multi-purpose gym.

Across its spaces, the center offers formal and informal therapy programs, such as table tennis, ping pong, and foosball, as well as dedicated rooms for speech, music, and art therapies; classrooms for fall and kitchen safety, nutrition, and wellness; private counseling spaces; a community lounge; and supporting amenities (specialized changing rooms, offices, storage, kitchen, laundry).

Programming is free and focuses on exercise, learning and social connection. The main area of the Center features a custom graphic that spans the top of the space underscoring the Foundation’s mission with words of motivation: “Movement Matters”.

The Center’s core programing is a series of activity-based programs, most of which were developed by InMotion, a Cleveland-based leader in evidence-based programs tailored for people with Parkinson’s.

Using over 10 years of experience, InMotion has been a vital partner in developing the programs, systems and culture of the Center.

Goal: improve quality of life

Through leveraging the InMotion Approach^TM, the Center will provide an integrated, holistic system of wellness programs designed to counteract the symptoms of the disease and to improve the quality of life of those people living with the disease here in Michigan.

Another key feature of the Center’s approach to programming will be its direct collaboration with the Michigan Parkinson Foundation to provide educational and support services.

For over 40 years, MPF has been a pillar in the fight against Parkinson’s providing care, support, respite, and education throughout Michigan and will bring this experience and expertise to the services offered at the Center. Together, MPF and the Center will offer Parkinson’s Disease 101 classes, programs for those with late-stage PD, wellness workshops, book clubs and support groups that are geared toward those with PD and care partners, and much more.

The Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness is poised to become a model of collaboration for Parkinson’s care nationwide, demonstrating the power of aligned organizations united to provide better care for the Parkinson’s community.

Collaboration is key

An example of a collaboration that amplifies support and showcasing the community coming together is the Center’s partnership with Planet Fitness.

EPIC Fitness Group, a Planet Fitness franchise division, generously donated a range of cardio and strength equipment, including treadmills, recumbent bikes, resistance machines, and free weights.

The Center’s impact is being amplified through the amazing dedication of volunteers, generous donors, and the broader Parkinson’s and medical communities, whose continued support ensures that all programs and services remain free of charge.

A baseball-themed donor wall is featured that honors these contributions. Together, these efforts reflect a strong and growing community, driven by connection, empowerment, and hope.

“The opening of this Parkinson’s Center is more than just a building, it’s a center of hope and provides a sense of community for everyone in the battle with Parkinson’s”, said Kirk Gibson, founder of the Kirk Gibson Foundation and Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness. “This has been part of my mission, and I am honored to be able to open the doors and welcome everyone to our center where they can empower each other in a place filled with comfort and support”.

The opening of the Center has been made possible by Gibson and his foundation who have been fundraising with the goal of opening a wellness center. This milestone was made possible by a lead gift from Mrs. Marian Ilitch and ongoing contributions from generous donors. While the grand opening marks the start of an exciting new chapter, the KGF will continue fundraising to expand programming, enhance accessibility, and ensure long-term sustainability.