Cooper, 58, and now a born-again Christian, has begun fundraising efforts with his Christian non-profit Solid Rock Foundation for the 20,000-square-foot teen activity centre.
The centre, to be called ‘The Rock,’ will be built at Grand Canyon University in West Phoenix.
The singer expressed his desire to help kids trapped in the middle of a world that surrounds them with shootings, drug addiction, and gang life.
“People don’t lay in the sun in southwest Phoenix. There’s lots of shootings going on, there’s lots of meth going on, there’s lots of gangs,” Cooper said. “In the middle of all that is a bunch of 12-, 13-, 14-year-old kids that can go one way or the other.”
The centre will centre on Christian themes, and provide kids with sports and other activities in addition to spiritual activities.
Cooper also plans to give the kids a chance to learn from his and other rockers’ experiences. He has already asked other rock icons, such as Ted Nugent, to come to the centre and talk with kids.
Speaking about the value of boundaries for kids, he said: “Kids love boundaries. We used to fight against them. But in all reality, what we really did want was to know where we could go. Of course, you always step over the line just a little bit to see what’s going to happen.”
‘The Rock’ will also feature a recording studio, indoor basketball courts, rock-climbing walls, coffeehouse, game room and concert hall. Construction is expected to begin next year.
“We’re not going to beat them over the head with a Bible,” Cooper said. “But we’re certainly going to be available to tell them that that’s available to them.”
Cooper, who spends about seven months of the year at home in suburban Paradise Valley, said that when he walks off the stage, “I’m going back to Phoenix, play golf, work on Solid Rock, go shopping and do everything that a father and a husband’s supposed to do.”
“I watched all of my best friends — Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Keith Moon — every one of them, die trying to live their image,” he said.
“The one thing that my generation learned was ‘be a rock star when it’s time to be a rock star’.”
