Shooting for Christ
Aging rocker Alice Cooper, wife find purpose in Christian charity

Sandra Begay gets and autograph for her son-in-law from Alice Cooper. (Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent)

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

Alice Cooper looks for an open teammate to pass to during a basketball game at the grand opening of the Navajo Christian Foundation's gym and rec center. The Navajo Christian Foundation team beat the Solid Rock Foundation team. After the game Cooper performed with his son's band Runaway Phoenix. (Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent)

DILKON — It's said that behind every good man, there's a woman. In Alice Cooper's case, it's his wife Sheryl. In Dilkon Saturday for the grand-opening of Navajo Christian Foundation's recreation center, Mrs. Cooper offered insight into how her husband has used his gift of music to bridge the worlds of rock 'n' roll and Christianity.

Alice Cooper, superstar, is an image, she says.
"It's interesting to me: Why do people disassociate actors from their roles, but they won't disassociate rock 'n' rollers from the roles they play on the stage? Alice Cooper is a character that my husband plays. He is not Alice Cooper.

"He's like the Captain Hook of rock 'n' roll. And when he's done with his stage show, he leaves Alice on stage and he's who he is," she said. And a big part of who Alice is these days is Solid Rock Foundation (SRF).

An estimated 600 to 800 multi-generational fans packed the Navajo Christian Foundation's (NCF's) gym Saturday afternoon to watch Alice and the SRF team take on the Navajo foundation in a friendly game of basketball.

Solid Rock contributions to NCF helped it realize the recreation center, which is used by community members and abused and neglected children turned over to the group home by Social Services.

Pastor James Paddock, master of ceremonies, said getting the gym to this stage of development took a master plan. "When you have a plan, people from outside big churches, they take interest.

"When you just want them to come out here to paint the church, they'll do it, but it's not too exciting. But when you have a plan ... some of them think big; so they jump on the wagon. That's how we're doing this," he said.

Guns, gangs, drugs
After the game, and before Alice joined his son's band, Runaway Phoenix, to rock the house with "Eighteen" and "School's Out," he spoke briefly about SRF.

"I've had this organization for almost 10 years now. It's a Christian non-profit. We looked around and said, 'Where can we help the most? And we kind of just realized that every city you go into I don't care if it's New York City or here there's guns, gangs, and drugs. It's a problem everywhere."

Even in Dilkon, according to Alice. "You have just as much of a problem here as you do anywhere. If you can build a place like this (gym) and get kids off the street and in a place where they can play basketball or play music, or play ping-pong, it's going to keep them away from guns, gangs and drugs.

"And then also, I think you get a good spiritual message from it. It's a win-win situation. And that's really what we do: We raise money for places like this," he said.

Sheryl Cooper said she and her husband wanted to create something like the Navajo Christian Foundation in Phoenix, "but we found that we met with a lot of resistance, because when the rubber met the road, people were all about helping youth and kids and teens, but when it came to constructing something, it was kind of a 'not-in-my-back-yard' mentality.

"We really had a great deal of difficulty trying to find that right place. We started putting on golf tournaments, and we thought, 'Well, what are we good at doing?' and God made it very clear to us: 'Raising money'," Sheryl said.

The Coopers have spent the last 11 years helping supply the monetary needs of organizations all over Arizona that address the social, economic and spiritual needs of youth and teenagers. "To date, we've given out over a million dollars to different organizations," Mrs. Cooper said.

NCF gained the support of Solid Rock in December 2002, and that support continues today. SRF contributions have allowed the Navajo foundation to provide "Hozho Ke Hoghan/Home of Beauty," which was built by mission labor to provide foster care for abandoned, abused and neglected children.

The funding also helped establish a Counseling Center where Navajo families can receive biblical counseling; a Mobile Bus Youth Ministry which travels to various communities near Dilkon; a Youth Recreation Center which offers outreach for young adults on Friday nights; youth nights on Saturday; as well as aerobic classes and health services.

Alice's testimony
Alice said he became a Christian about 14 years ago. Then after about four years, he said, "I just really wanted to find some way to do something to help people out, and this was the best way to do it.

"Solid Rock organization, we have a big golf tournament and we have a big Christmas show, and that's what raises all the money. That gave us the money to help build this place. Isn't this great?" he asked, waving his arm to take in the Dilkon gym.

"I love this. It gives them (youth) something to do. If they didn't have this place, they'd be out running around, and there's always somebody out there with something bad."

In his message to the packed house, Alice said, "We deal a lot on drugs, gangs and guns. Every major city has that problem, and every Christian organization has to deal with that problem. So you're going to have to deal with those problems too.

"I want you to do me a favor, everybody in here, especially the kids. You go to school every day and you run into your buddies, and a lot of them are not Christians. If they're constantly looking to go to a party, take drugs, or go out and get a gun and get into a lot of trouble, bring them here. Throw some basketball. Pull a dance together,"he advised.

Alice said that when he was around 14 years old, he spent three years with his parents both missionaries on the San Carlos Apache reservation.

"I was raised in a Christian family. And then I became sort of the prodigal son. I went off and became Alice Cooper. I ended up being an alcoholic. That was 23 years ago. I haven't had a drink now in 23 years,"he said to rousing applause.

"But that had nothing to do with me. That had everything to do with what the Lord did for me. It was a miracle an absolute miracle. It had nothing to do with my will power, because I have no will power. But it had everything to do with Jesus coming into my life and just taking it away from me,"he said.

Now, he feels led to give back.