A $1 million gift from a former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan executive has given the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson's Wellness in Farmington Hills a new gymnasium named in honor of the donor's late father, who lived with the disease for more than a decade.

The Robert A. Loepp Sr. Multi-Purpose Gymnasium opened with a ribbon-cutting on Friday, Aug. 7, at the center's location at 31440 Northwestern Highway. Dan Loepp, who led Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan as president and CEO for nearly 20 years before retiring Jan. 1, 2025, funded the project through the Daniel J. Loepp Family Foundation.

"Expanding the center and naming this gymnasium in my father's honor is our way of saying thank you, and making sure that people living with Parkinson's have a place to find the same strength," Loepp said at the ceremony, according to C&G Newspapers.

Dan and Amy Loepp both attended the ribbon-cutting alongside Kirk Gibson, the former Detroit Tigers star diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2015, and his wife JoAnn.

The nearly 3,000-square-foot gym, built within the existing center, began construction in May and was completed in about three months. It will host additional classes including PWR! Moves (Parkinson Wellness Recovery), Tai Chi and dance, according to Social House News.

The center already offered more than 140 classes per week with 38 certified coaches before the expansion. All programs are free to members, with no insurance required.

Since opening in October 2025, the Kirk Gibson Center has enrolled more than 1,000 members, blowing past its original projection of 800 by the end of 2026. That rapid growth pushed the center to accelerate expansion plans.

The demand is real. Gibson said the new gym will allow the center to meet the needs of its rapidly growing membership, crediting the Loepps' generosity for making the opening possible.

The $1 million gift also establishes an endowment to fund hiring and training of additional coaches and staff as the center scales up.

The Loepp family's connection to the Kirk Gibson Foundation goes back years. Dan and Amy Loepp served as executive co-chairs of the foundation's 2019 "Everybody vs. Parkinson's" gala, which raised more than $1.5 million.

The center's Farmington Hills location was chosen to sit within a 30-minute drive of 70 percent of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county residents, putting it within reach of an estimated 8,000 Metro Detroiters living with Parkinson's.

Coming up: The Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson's hosts a gala with comedy duo the Sklar Brothers in April 2027 at Saint John's Resort in Plymouth. Ticket details have not yet been announced.