Major grant will fund new Special Olympics facility in Marlborough

Special Olympics Massachusetts will be moving its headquarters from Danvers to Marlborough with the help of a $2.5 million grant from the Yawkey Foundation, officials said.

The new 25,000-square-foot building will be named the Yawkey Sports Training Center, thanks to the large grant, which will fund nearly a quarter of the estimated $10.5 million cost for the facility. Groundbreaking is expected some time this fall.

"Marlborough is central to all of Massachusetts and all of New England," said Bob Johnson, the president & CEO of Special Olympics Massachusetts. "We’re very excited about this."

The organization has now raised $5.8 million for the center, he said. Slated to open in the Fall of 2009, the facility will serve more than 10,000 athletes, 11,000 volunteers, and 1,600 coaches.

-- Lisa Kocian