The Shaheen family saved the Temple Theatre in 2002. Now that's it's a thriving entertainment venue in the heart of Saginaw, the family is giving it to the community.
This morning, a who's who of the Great Lakes Bay Region were joined by business leaders in the Temple Theatre lobby. Businessman Sam Shaheen handed over the keys to the Temple to Dick Garber, who will serve as chairman of a new foundation board that will manage the its operations.
The Temple Foundation has already secured about $3.5 million, and hopes to collect another $1.5 million from the public.
The Shaheens have owned the building since 2002 when the family invested several million dollars to save the building. It was a gesture, Garber says, that was a great act of kindness, but this?
"To literally give the facility valued at over $9 million, they put over $7 million of the family's own money into it and gifted the foundation another $700,000 on top of that. It's just off the charts," Garber said.
"It's just an incredible and it's an awesome responsibility for the Great Lakes Bay Region to accept and make sure we continue to operate the theatre and provide the quality venue that the Shaheen family has done for the last 10 years."
"It would have been a huge loss for the community to have this building destroyed," Sam Shaheen said.
After the restoration and donation of the Temple, foundation board member Jim VanTiflin said another family's name belongs with Saginaw's philanthropic history. "Wickes, Morley, Eddy, Garber and Anderson. Do you agree with me that the Shaheen name should be included?"
"Very humbling, very humbling," Shaheen responded. "I'm going to be here for a couple of more generations, but after that, the community will take over. I will be here to protect this place as long as I live."
The Temple is hosting a film festival this weekend. Since it reopened in 2003, it's hosted acts like B.B. King, Sara Evans and countless plays and shows.
