Shock rocker with a big heart and a lofty goal teams with former pastor to help kids at risk
Just as he’s done thousands of times before, Alice Cooper was onstage preparing to rock the house with his unique brand of heavy metal. But this time, instead of the usual opening acts, there’s a twist. Alice and his wife Sheryl are starting the evening’s event, a charity fundraiser, with an open-ing prayer. It’s a seemingly odd juxtaposition of the persona of the shock rocker, who gained notoriety in the late ‘60s by reportedly biting the head off of a live chicken, and the prayerful Christian about to launch into an evening of merriment for a good cause.
The cause is the Solid Rock Foundation (SRF), a not-for-profit Christian-based “Sanctuary for Kids” in Phoenix, Arizona that features a school of rock, sports facilities, and, most importantly, a safe haven from the tough streets. “The Rock” is the brainchild of the rock legend and his friend, SRF executive director Chuck Savale.
On the surface, the Cooper and Savale friendship might seem as much of a riddle as Cooper’s rock persona and his Christian beliefs. Savale is a former youth pastor whose clean cut looks fit right in with corporate America while Cooper is well-known for his trademark eyeliner, shoulder-length black hair, and such songs as No More Mr. Nice Guy. But the two have more in common than one might think – they both love to play golf, and at one time they both had children in the same public school where they met. And they both have a strong commitment to making a difference in the lives of troubled teens and kids at risk by getting the Solid Rock Foundation off the ground.
“I was not much into music when I was growing up, so when we met I did not know much about him as a person,” Savale said. “Just like everyone else, what I saw was the character that was on stage and his effect on teens, which in my opinion was not a good one. As we talked about his career and its impact, he saw and recognized that some of what he did was not positive or good.”
But Cooper went through a profound change and cleaned up his act. “When he gave his life to Jesus Christ, he went through and stopped doing those things he felt were objectionable,” Savale continued. “Now he continues to grow in his walk and love for Jesus Christ and strives to please Jesus and then his fans.”
If Cooper and Savale are to reach their goal for SRF, they will need the help of those fans and then some. The 29,000 square foot facility that in-cludes a coffee house, concert hall, recording studio, computer lab, game room, basketball court, rock climbing wall and much more, will cost an estimated $7.3 million. Although the land has been donated by Phoenix-based Grand Canyon University, on whose campus the center will reside, there’s still the tiny issue of paying off millions of dollars. The approach is a pragmatic one: “I can’t build this alone,” says Cooper in the flyer promoting the center. “I need your help.” Thus the fundraiser and the money-raising campaign.
“We are about one-third of the way to achieving our goal of $7.3 million and we are working hard at our capital campaign,” said Savale. “The Christmas Pudding [a full-scale concert whose proceeds benefit the SRF], along with our 12th Annual AC Celebrity AM golf tournament and other fundraisers, are also a big help in attaining our goal.”
The official ground-breaking and start of construction is in sight but still not yet a reality. Savale is optimistic that it is within grasp. “We would love to break ground in 2008,” he said. “It is still a possibility. That amount may seem like a lot of money but to the parents of that one teen that it may keep out of a gang or off of drugs it is worth every penny and more.”
Their current campaign to raise capital is in full swing. The concept, “Donor of a Square Foot,” is to solicit donations to build the center “one square foot at a time,” which amounts to $248 per square foot. But Cooper, Savale, and company are doing more than merely asking for contribu-tions. They are also donating their own time and resources. For the past seven years, they have been producing Christmas Pudding. This year’s show featured Whiskey Falls, Flo and Eddie of the Turtles, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, California Transit Authority featuring Danny Seraphine (the original Chicago drummer) and Marc Bonilla, as well as Alice Cooper and his band.
The event was well supported by the production community, including Precise Corporate Staging, who supplied lighting, audio, and video gear as well as production personnel, Dodge Theatre, where the event took place, Live Nation, PLSN, FOH, and Barco, who contributed the use of several projectors and MiStrip LED displays. Many of the Precise Corporate Staging personnel contributed personal time to the event in addition to paid time on the PCS tab. The annual event provides them with the opportunity to give back to the community and to participate in a large-scale produc-tion, allowing them to get out of the shop and do a job they would not ordinarily have the chance to take on.
In addition to helping with Christmas Pudding, PCS president and owner David Stern is also an enthusiastic supporter of the SRF. He has helped bring corporate sponsors to the table, including PRG, L’Acoustic, Barco, Martin Professional, Intellevent, Da-Lite Screen Company, Color Kinet-ics, ETC, ACT Lighting, Thomas Pixel Range, Total Structure, and Group One. These manufacturers are negotiating to supply some of their prod-ucts for the facility, or have already agreed to do so. But there is much work to do to flesh out their plans. Stern’s hope is that more manufacturers in the production industry will commit to donating goods and services in exchange for the opportunity to change a young person’s life. He is also looking for staging and other rental companies to get on board to offer services and training to help bring more people into our workforce.
After all, these kids represent the future of the industry, and those who learn production at SRF will eventually go out into the real world with real world skills to use in the production industry. In addition to teaching music and music production, the school will also offer an education in event production. Manufacturers will have the opportunity to present classes and seminars as part of the live event production curriculum.
“This will open up opportunities for kids to learn and eventually work in the industry,” Cooper said. “Through sponsors these kids will be learning on cutting edge equipment. It will be a valuable education for the kids as well as the production industry to be able to train the next generation of competent production men and women. To my knowledge there is no other place that is doing this at no charge and that is what will set The Rock apart. I want to thank each company and individual who have stepped up to make my dream come true.”
The plans are in the works to build a total of 10 centers around the country. After the first one is built in Phoenix, the second will follow in Detroit, where Cooper was born. The locations of the next eight facilities have not yet been determined.
Last year’s Christmas Pudding raised $155,000 and the goal this year was to surpass that figure. Was the goal reached?
“Not quite, but we are thrilled with the $125,000 that was raised,” Savale said.
It’s a matter of time now before SRF is a reality. When Cooper and Savale succeed in opening the first center, Cooper just might have to amend his hit song No More Mr. Nice Guy.
To donate to the SRF, call 888.97.ALICE (888.972.5423) or visit www.srfrock.org .
