The Rock: A Way To Give Back (2020 Fundraiser)

In this post, we will be focusing one last time on Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Foundation. The 2020 fundraiser is under way and we are also offering you chances to win a FWA merch bundle along with some Solid Rock items for every $10 donation you make during our fundraiser (which ends next Thurs., Sept. 3rd.) Links to the fundraiser and the video about the merch bundle are found below.

The fundraiser for Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock is underway, and we feel the best way to make one last final push for funds (for their cause) is by asking you to spend some time getting to know them.

You’ll notice in the videos embedded above, there are videos of the Coopers, teens performing from The Rock, administrative staff giving testimonies or saying hello, and more than anything else – you’ll notice there’s a community. A community where students, teens, teachers, and philanthropists can come together while learning to live, laugh, and love one another.

As we’ve seen in the past couple weeks, The Rock is a multi-faceted organization. It TAKES commitment from multiple members and relies heavily on each contributor reacting and carrying out their tasks in order for The Rock to successfully operate. We’ve heard from Randy Spencer (Consultant & Community Partnership Coordinator for The Rock), Sophie Dorsten (Student & Singer/Songwriter from The Rock), and on Monday we will hear Calico Cooper (Vocalist/Theatrics for Beasto Blanco & Alice Cooper’s oldest daughter) give her story & testimony about The Rock.

The stories and videos listed in this post show the diversity and unique perspectives found throughout Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock, and within that diversity is unity. A unified front that believes in the power of expression.

Expression, through God’s design, is humanity’s most beautiful and unique gift. It is a form of communication not only from one human soul to another but also to our Creator. Learning how to craft that skill not only allows us to communicate better with each other, but with our Heavenly Father as well.

One of the videos listed above shares the story of Lorelei Shirey, a teen attending classes at AC’s Solid Rock. The video also featured her mother, Michaelyn Belford Shirey, who opened her heart and explained how The Rock was such a vital part of Lorelei’s life. She stated that (paraphrasing here), “we, as adults, remember our teenage years and how we felt…but that doesn’t mean we understand how today’s teens or our children feel. Even with all the love and support we can give on the outside, the state of their hearts on the inside may still be lost in darkness.” This is powerful and really encompasses what it seems the Alice Cooper Solid Rock folks are trying to help teens conquer and overcome – the DARKNESS.

When this blog was first started, we knew Solid Rock and its mission would be a key part of the message conveyed by this project. A good part of Jesus’s ministry was focused on the lost and forgotten. Take a moment and step out of your adult life, thinking back to that time when you may have felt this way. Struggling to fit in, trying to hold firm to principles you knew were right but didn’t really flow with the waves of the world, etc. Maybe you still feel that way or maybe you are one of those teens reading this post. It doesn’t really matter – what does matter is all individuals deserve the respect and love of one another. We are COMMANDED to offer those things by our Lord (Mark 12:30-31). It’s not an option.

Alice has mentioned many times that The Rock is a blueprint for other cities to follow. Behind those words and his message is motivation. His only motivation is to offer these teens a thriving environment free from the vitriol of this world. As a Christian, he feels it’s his responsibility to show that to them. He feels it’s his responsibility to show them grace -offering them something they may not have access to without The Rock Teen Center.

The ‘Fridays with Alice’ project has been an interesting journey. Judgment and slanderous things have been directed at Alice and our mission with this endeavor – some openly, others in private. However, focusing on the positives – let’s look at this from another viewpoint. It’s one thing to read and quote scripture to children and teens. It’s another thing to live out those scriptures before them. Some of you may remember a song written by the band Petra entitled, “Seen and Not Heard” – asking us to focus more on our actions rather than our words. Stop and ask yourself this question, “would you rather be seen living out His Word or shouting at others about what it is they should be doing or how they should be living?”

Seems living your own life and applying His Word to that is contagious. Look at how many want to join Alice’s cause (some Christians, some not) simply because he chooses to bear fruit and live out Christ’s message – planting seeds along the way. Think again about your life and the seeds that were planted, not by scripture, but by the actions of others. Others you knew were Christians because of their actions – not their meaningless banter about how others should be but their willingness to step in – representing Christ’s Love and Mission (Hebrews 5:7-9).

In conclusion, we are honored at the chance to sow into this ministry. One that lives out the call and mission of Christ! For us to LOVE OTHERS as ourselves, in turn, LOVING GOD in the process. We hope you consider contributing to Alice’s mission. If there is any hesitation about him and his cause, do your homework and research. Find out what makes Solid Rock tick. See what they are doing there that works.

NOTE: If you’d like to give but don’t quite trust the Facebook fundraising method, you can always give through Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock website – click here for that link.

We all have something we can give back. Money and resources are not always easy to come by – but time and purpose are FREE. Reach out and be that flicker of hope for a teen that is hurting. Show them the respect and love you wish you had been shown. Maybe you were one of those teens that found refuge in a place like Solid Rock. If so, use what you learned and how you were treated to pay that forward. With that, we wish you all well and keep fighting the good fight.

Be well and catch you Next Friday!

Until then, Keep Walkin’ In Faith and Rockin’ With Alice!

For more information about Alice’s Solid Rock Foundation, you can click the links below and learn more about them:

Solid Rock is a Christian, 501(c)(3), Arizona nonprofit corporation. The Board of Directors is made up of Christian men and women dedicated to SRF’s purpose.

Started by Alice Cooper and friend Chuck Savale along with an eight member board of directors, incorporated November of 1995.

Solid Rock’s primary goal is to honor Christ by helping to meet the spiritual, economical, physical, and social needs of teenagers and children within our community.

To honor Christ by providing a facility geared toward teenagers that will help them to negotiate through the turbulent adolescent years. The relationally trained Christian staff, of men and women, and the different venues will create an atmosphere which will make it a place where they “hang out”. “The Rock,” the name of the building, will be designed to be a flexible needs structure centered around music. Programs will focus around a multi-use concert hall, coffee house (kitchen/snack bar for concert & other events), indoor basketball/floor hockey court, rock climbing walls, sound room and recording studio, computer/reading/study rooms, game room.

Their goal is to make an everlasting difference in the lives of the teenagers and children they are dedicated to helping.

COME DISCOVER YOUR TALENT!

The Rock Teen Center inspires teens (12-20) to grow through music, dance and art. We provide vocational training in sound and recording, lighting and staging, video production, as well as a computer lab and a cool, supervised facility for the teens to engage with their peers. In a time where public schools are cutting funding for empowering programs like music, dance and art, The Rock cultivates a love of the arts to inspire and challenge teens to embrace artistic excellence and reach their full potential.

The Teen Center is FREE and open to all teens 12-20 years old Monday through Friday from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm (Limited Hours: 2 PM to 6:15 PM by Appointment Only during COVID-19) 13625 N. 32nd St., Phx, AZ 85032.Call 602-522-9200 for additional info. The COVID-19 Waiver Form , the Code of Conduct Form and the Membership Form need to be completed and brought with you on your first day to The Rock.