Automotive seating supplier’s $2.8-million gift is largest received in nonprofit’s history

DETROIT, May 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Adient announced today that it is the presenting sponsor of the Detroit Police Athletic League’s (PAL) stadium at the site of historic Tiger Stadium.

The stadium’s official name will be “The Corner Ballpark presented by Adient” and the field will benefit thousands of children playing in Detroit PAL’s sports leagues on the redeveloped landmark.

The gift was made possible by the Adient Foundation, which supports charitable initiatives along with Adient plc, the global leader in automotive seating. The company is a long-time supporter of volunteer efforts in the city and will move its global headquarters to Detroit’s historic Marquette Building in early 2019.

The multi-year gift of $2.8 million is the largest received in PAL’s history.

“Adient is proud to be the presenting sponsor of The Corner Ballpark,” said Byron Foster, executive vice president for Adient. “Our employees have a proud history of dedicating their time to efforts like PAL that support and strengthen their local communities. What better way to do this than by giving children the opportunity to participate in activities at this iconic site.”

Foster, Detroit PAL CEO Tim Richey, Mayor Mike Duggan, Senator Carl Levin, Police Chief James E. Craig and Thom Linn from the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy attended the announcement event, held today at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.

“We are extremely excited to announce Adient as the presenting sponsor of Detroit PAL’s new Corner Ballpark at Michigan and Trumbull in Corktown,” Richey said. “Adient’s support is going to help PAL improve and provide quality programming at every corner of Detroit, with a goal to increase the number of youth served from 13,830 in 2016 to 20,000 by 2020. Adient has shown tremendous commitment to the city of Detroit and this gift will help provide PAL’s character-building programs to tens of thousands of kids each year at The Corner Ballpark presented by Adient and all across Detroit.”

Detroit PAL has raised nearly $18 million toward the “Kids at the Corner” campaign to redevelop the site of Tiger Stadium. When completed, the new stadium will include PAL’s first permanent headquarters, the Willie Horton Field of Dreams with a 2,500-seat capacity, a banquet facility/leadership center, dugouts, locker rooms, and more.

They will program a variety of sports on the field, including baseball, softball, T-ball, coach pitch, football, cheer, soccer and more. 

About Detroit Police Athletic League:
Detroit PAL is a nonprofit organization positively impacting the lives of over 13,000 children each year through athletic, academic and leadership development programs with roots dating back to 1969. Detroit PAL empowers the community by training volunteer coaches and creating safe places for kids to play. Each year, Detroit PAL teaches over 1,700 caring community members how to be encouraging and effective mentors.

About Adient:
Adient is the global leader in automotive seating. With 75,000 employees operating 230 manufacturing/assembly plants in 33 countries worldwide, we produce and deliver automotive seating for all vehicle classes and all major OEMs. From complete seating systems to individual components, our expertise spans every step of the automotive seat-making process. Our integrated, in-house skills allow us to take our products from research and design all the way to engineering and manufacturing – and into more than 25 million vehicles every year. For more information on Adient, please visit adient.com.

SOURCE Adient