Growing Goodyear
Growing Goodyear
Rocking Out with Alice Cooper in Goodyear
Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Center is now open in Goodyear! Hear from the man himself, rock legend Alice Cooper, as he shares his passion for empowering youth through creativity. Plus, meet a former Teen Center participant whose journey from student to rising music artist is nothing short of inspiring.
Coming up on this episode of Growing Goodyear.
Jameson Houston:Come once. Just see if you like it. Give it a shot, because you're gonna regret if you don't come here. I mean, every parent that's walked in here is like, why don't you have something like this when I was a kid? I'm like, I wish we could have opened one 20 years ago. And so I feel like you definitely should try it at least once, or else you'll regret it forever, because it's the craziest, most awesome opportunity. It can get you gigs. It can get you jobs, it can pretty much get you anything you want in life.
Host Jordan Byrd:And welcome into another edition of the Growing Goodyear podcast. From the city of Goodyear, I'm Jordan Byrd.
Host Tammy Vo:And I'm Tammy Vo.
Host Jordan Byrd:And Tammy, I know I sound like a broken record. I feel like on these podcasts about it's an exciting time in Goodyear, just the growth and the development that's happening here in the city. But we have a very special facility that is now open in Goodyear, and we'll be celebrating its grand opening in just a few days. And that is Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Center.
Unknown:We are so jazzed about this location, and I think just kind of learning more about the organization and what they do, Jordan, my perception and understanding of what they do has really changed. I mean, you and I have had some really great conversations, which our listeners going to hear in a little bit with the people who operate and run this organization to really understand what they do. And it's so much more than, I think, just, you know, giving kids an outlet and something to do in terms of Music and Performing Arts, but it is really about, for some kids, giving them purpose and direction in their lives when they really needed it most.
Host Jordan Byrd:And when you hear the name Alice Cooper Solid Rock Teen Center, admittedly, before we kind of dived into this episode and we kind of learned more about the center, I'm thinking it's kids with long hair that's head banging and playing rock music, but it's such a wide variety of art and dance and photography and audio production and music, of course, and it's every genre as well, and that's what people in this episode are going to get a sampling of. It's not just the music that they offer. It's not just the rock music. It is really every genre, every type of art. These centers and this center in Goodyear has available to teens, not only here in Goodyear, but the entire West Valley now.
Unknown:it is unbelievable that they have chosen Goodyear as their place to be for this center. And really, it's going to be a first of its kind in the entire West Valley, as you mentioned. And this is going to be, you know, available for for kids all across the the region. So we're so excited for them to come to Goodyear.
Host Jordan Byrd:And it's all leading up to their grand opening on April 26 that will be taking place here in Goodyear at the solid rock teen center. So without further ado, let's get to the man himself, Alice Cooper, who our mayor, Joe Pizzillo, was lucky enough to catch up with him recently.
Alice Cooper:Well, I'm Alice Cooper, and here with the mayor right here opening solid rock. Our third one, we have Phoenix and Mesa and now Goodyear. And, you know, we're just really excited about getting over on that side of town.
Mayor Pizzillo:You know, I'm pumped to be honest with you, the music that you guys played the kids. I'm really big on making sure that kids have an opportunity to grow. And I really believe you coming out on the west valley is going to put us on the map. I've seen your kids perform at many events, and very talented. And the fact they have an opportunity to expand their, you know, their abilities, I think, is going to be fantastic in the city of Goodyear.
Alice Cooper:Well, you know, we're never going to run out of teenagers and getting our third one open over there. You know, I'm from the west side. I grew up on the west side. I went to Cortez high I went to Glendale Community. So when we were teenagers, we had to play little cowboy bars, you know, because that was the only place we could the band could go play. We didn't have anything like this. It wasn't a boys club. It wasn't this. This is dedicated totally to the arts, and that's the most important thing, you know, is like these kids have all got talent. I think you just have to mine it. Bring them in and say, try everything, and then they try it, and all of a sudden they go, Oh, I'm a drummer, you know? And the next thing you know, the kids there every day at three o'clock, and that breaks that cycle of what's going on on the street.
Mayor Pizzillo:And I think that's going to be the greatest thing. In fact, I've got a granddaughter. I'm hoping to stop in here. She's a singer and very proud of what she's been able to accomplish, just another avenue for her to get out here and expand her talent. Absolutely, I know with the kids out here in the West Valley, some of them would never have a chance. That's right, without your organization.
Alice Cooper:Teenagers are, you know, have a tendency to be cynical. They have a tendency to be the world's against me. They're all looking for identity, you know. And hopefully, when they come into solid rock, they find that identity. Maybe they're dancers, maybe they're photographers, maybe they're artists, maybe they're songwriters, maybe they just love working in the studio, you know. But every kid's got talent. Yeah, and we're just trying to find and mine that talent and say, because once they find it, then they really go for it. And to me, that's really the most important thing, because it breaks the cycle of what's going on on the street, you know, I tell some of these guys, tough guys, you know, I go, Look, you can be in a gang. Gang means you're either in jail or dead, I said, or you can be in a band, which is a gang, except you're playing music and people are paying you, and the girls love you. I said, Is there any choice there?
Mayor Pizzillo:Not to me, it's pretty straightforward. You're talking about that. No, I'm really looking forward to all of this, which you're bringing here to the city. I think it's gonna be an excellent asset to the city of Goodyear, the fact that you're gonna bring these kids and allow them to nurture and grow to where they need to be. And I'm a big proponent of giving our kids a chance to go, and you're gonna find out in Goodyear itself, itself, anything that deals that we can promote a community atmosphere out here. I'm all in here. You're a great proponent of that well, getting these kids, so I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing this to us. I'm on board 100%.
Alice Cooper:That's great. And we really thank you. And when we started talking about the west side, we realized we were both West Side guys and and so, you know, it's a natural fit. It's going to be great.
Host Jordan Byrd:Our thanks to Mayor Pizzillo and Alice Cooper for providing a little information about what is solid rock teen center and what the people in Goodyear and the teens here in the West Valley can expect from the opening now of this facility in their own backyard. To expand on that with a little bit more detail of what teens can expect and what parents can expect for their teens attending the solid rock Teen Center here in Goodyear. We're now being joined by Randy Spencer, in charge of consulting and community partnerships for Alice Cooper's solid rock teen centers. Randy, thank you so much for taking the time and joining us here on the growing Goodyear podcast.
Randy Spencer:It's great to see you. A great pleasure to be here.
Host Jordan Byrd:So let's just start broadly. For anyone who may not be aware of Alice Cooper, solid rock teen centers. What are you guys?
Randy Spencer:So we kind of describe ourselves as a rock and roll Boys and Girls Club meets young life. We're a teen center that is a safe space for teens to spend their time after school. We welcome all teens, ages 12 to 20. Doesn't matter if they're homeless, it doesn't matter if they're affluent, doesn't matter if they're disabled, doesn't matter who they are. As long as they're ages 12 to 20, they're welcome in our center, and it's a safe space for them to spend their time, meet other friends, for socialization, and also a place So this is all the brainchild of Alice Cooper, rock and roll for them to discover their talents. They can learn how to pick up a guitar, they can learn how to paint. They can learn how to do visual art. They can learn to work in a recording studio. They can literally hang out and take a nap if they want. They could play video games. And we're just this creative play land for an opportunity for youth to discover their talents, and then our staff and volunteers will also provide mentorship and positive guidance to the teens as we get to know them. legend. How did he go from touring all around the world to coming back to Phoenix and opening up these centers? been living in Phoenix for, you know, 60 plus years, and they wanted to do something deeper in the city, and as a give back, to be able to give back to the community. And as they've researched different causes, they've realized 25% of kids are involved in maybe sports or drama theater after school, and that leaves a lot of 75% of kids without any passion or guidance or ambition, a lot of them are kind of on their own and they're alienated. So we wanted to create a center that was a center for all teens, but particularly that 75% that's never picked up a guitar, never picked up a paintbrush, and give them an opportunity that they can say, hey, come in, find out if you're the next Eddie Van Halen, and maybe you're not, maybe you're just doing something that you enjoy, and you discover, I'm this great visual artist, and all of a sudden it becomes this pathway that you can now discover that you're talented at something that boosts self confidence, that boosts self esteem in kids, that gives kids a happier path in life. And we ultimately want kids to learn music, art and guitar, et cetera, but we ultimately want to change people's lives.
Unknown:Well, why Goodyear Randy? I mean, you guys could have gone any other location in the valley. The valley is growing like crazy. But why Goodyear? What was it about it?
Randy Spencer:Because you have the coolest Mayor on the planet.
Unknown:He is pretty cool. You don't find a lot of mayors cruising through on their motorcycles.
Randy Spencer:One of the reasons we chose Goodyear, we opened Phoenix, our Phoenix first center, 14 and a half years ago, and we knew right away we wanted to have multiple teen centers. We are a small nonprofit with a big name, so we had to count our dimes and grow strategically. So we opened up Mesa three and a half years ago, and. We had our eye in the West Valley, and we met with several locations in several cities over the years, and we've been really fortunate to do a lot with Goodyear. The last 12 years, we've done Goodyear rocks. We do the Goodyear Christmas square. We do a lot of baseball appearances for spring training with the national anthem. So our kids and our teen centers have already been engaged with the city of Goodyear, and we had this instant camaraderie and vision that there was a need for something in Goodyear for teens. And this is a great location, and this is an amazing building.
Unknown:What is that like for you and for Alice, to see this vision, you know, after 14 years, come to fruition, and here we are making make a difference in the West Valley?
Randy Spencer:It's such a humble privilege to grow and it's such a humble privilege to be able to see more teens, you know, become impacted. We've had teens from Goodyear, Avondale, Anthem Tolleson, Queen Creek, come to our Phoenix center for years, and there's been so much requests for us to be in the West Valley, and there's so much engagement, but yeah, it just feels like the skies of heaven opened up when you're able to walk in and then see kids. And organically, kids walk in the first day we opened in Goodyear, about five weeks ago, and they looked around and they checked it out, and then they went right to their car and grabbed their guitars and grabbed their saxophones and grabbed their musical instruments and started jamming and hanging out with other kids, and that's what our safe teen center is all about.
Host Jordan Byrd:Well, and I think what's so cool about these solid rock teen centers around the valley and the one opening up in Goodyear, is that it isn't just music. You know, people think, hey, it's Alice Cooper's attached to it. It's kind of in the name solid rock teen center, but the way it's been described to me is focus more on teen center, not rock teen center, and that there is dance, there is art, there's a wide variety of programs and classes that are offered, not just music, correct?
Randy Spencer:Well, we have teens connect with volunteers, for example, and they've asked the volunteer, what are you doing today? And the volunteer said, I'm going to go get an oil change on my motorcycle. And a team goes, What's an oil change? And a volunteer goes, well, let me show you in the parking lot. And then literally, three months later, that team goes, I want to become a mechanic, and I went to college, and that teen became a became a full time mechanic and got a job. So we're all about creating connections with teens and giving them opportunities. And at our teen center, they can learn dance, they can learn live audio, they can learn lighting, they can learn staging. And we've had many kids get full time jobs in those kind of areas, and we have so many different opportunities in photography, videography, photography and video as well, absolutely.
Host Jordan Byrd:Wow, and the resources that are available to these kids, which, by the way, these centers are free of charge, correct?
Randy Spencer:We are 100% free. We're a 501, c3, nonprofit with a lot of generous donors, private foundation, and with a lot of those kind of funding opportunities that allows us to keep our doors free for kids.
Host Jordan Byrd:And so it's incredible to have this free opportunity with the resources that are there. Because I've, I've toured the Goodyear facility, that recording studio. I mean, that is top of the line. It's amazing that these services and resources and equipment are available to these kids, not just for free of charge, but on the highest level you could possibly imagine.
Randy Spencer:Yeah, we aim for high quality. So our recording studio is just like you would see a studio in Los Angeles or Nashville in a real world environment. And we've had teens actually work in the studio with Sister Sledge and sing backy vocals on their record by watching them record. We've had teens work with Lita Ford, and she's volunteered record one of our bands. So you never quite know who's going to walk in the door and be able to mentor a teen. And we want to see teens be able to get jobs and be able to, like, have those kind of experiences.
Unknown:Something you said earlier really stuck out to me, where you said, we open our doors to anyone. Why is that important to you?
Randy Spencer:Because every teen needs encouragement, right? So you could be homeless and going through the deepest, darkest struggles, and you need a better pathway in life. You can be from an affluent home and you still feel like you're potentially insecure. You could be bullied, you can have low self esteem, you could be potentially suicidal. Feelings and challenges are difficult for all of humanity, and we want to see teens lifted up and see teens change lives, and we don't want to have a segmented crowd that we necessarily only serve disabled kids or we only serve homeless kids. We want to serve every teen possible. And we love that, because every facet of life walks in the art studio and they all look at each other and they just accept each other. We have teens all the time that tell us, I have no friends in school, I'm bullied, and no kids understand me. They don't like the kind of music I like, they don't like the kind of video games I like. And I can come to the solid rock teen center, and I can have a safe space, and I can actually meet friends, and that friend might live in Glendale or Chandler, but I can discover, you know, my tribe, and that is a life saving experience, even for parents who might not have an outlet for their kid that is understood, or a kid that has a safe space to spend their time and can find the Discovery Zone.
Unknown:So you've seen lives changed through this process? We have had probably, I'd say, eight or nine kids not commit suicide by coming to our teen centers and be a part of our program. We've had kids get college scholarships. We've had kids overcome homelessness. We've had kids tell us, I walk in to our teen center and I was so angry and depressed, and I came to this teen center and I discovered art, and now I'm have better grades in school. A couple years ago, a kid named Steve, and I'll use this fictitious name for privacy, came in and the dad came in and said, This is my son, Steve. The dad looked exhausted and said, My son, Steve has no friends at school. They make fun of him because of his long hair. They make fun of him because the music he likes, and we're looking for a place that he can thrive. Do you happen to have any kids that like this kind of music, like Rush and Yes, and Jethro Tull? And I said, I think we have about 35 and he goes, 35 Are you kidding me? And he was blown away. And I said, What are you doing tomorrow at four? And he said, come by our center. So I called about six kids, and I knew that like that music. And I said, Hey, are you willing to jam with this new kid? And five or six kids showed up, and two years later, Steve is now about to get a college scholarship here. He's happier in life. He's in two bands. Get better grades, gets along better with his dad. He's alive. So we have seen just countless stories like that. And again, we want kids to discover music, art and dance. Those things are extremely important. But we want kids to be able to be equipped for their present moment as well as their future, and have changed lives.
Host Jordan Byrd:Hearing you tell a story like that, or you know, some of the other examples of the lives that you guys are impacting through solid rock teen center, it wouldn't be done without volunteers. And I got to imagine, there's an army of people behind the scenes that are making these contacts with these kids on a daily basis. And you know, really are kind of, for lack of a better phrase, doing kind of the dirty work day in and day out with these students or with these teens. Talk a little bit about the volunteers and the people behind this that are helping those teens out there.
Randy Spencer:Yeah, again, we're a small nonprofit with a big name, so we don't have a big staff. We are very volunteer driven, and we have volunteers come in and play pool and air hockey with kids, do art. They offer drum lessons, whatever their talents are, or if they're not necessarily skilled in music or art, they're literally just hanging it with the kids, and we have a smoothie program as an example, and we offer nutrition for kids to teach them, hey, you might want to have a healthy drink instead of three Coca Colas a day. And one of the things that we did with that smoothie program is we hire a teen, and they run that program, and a couple of volunteers will come in, and her name is Michelle, and her son has been our Center for years, and Michelle has been like a mini mom, you know, to a lot of these young girls, to a lot of guys as well, but particularly a lot of young girls who might have single parents, who might not get along with their mom, or might not connect with their mom, or maybe they just need an outside adult to talk to that they trust. And we volunteers have become like they're the rock stars of our organization.
Unknown:There's no doubt another rock star, obviously, Alice Cooper. I think sometimes you see well known celebrities put their names on certain you know organizations, and that's about it. But Alice actually comes into some of these locations and works with the kids, one on one. Tell us about Well, Alice is not just a face of the organization. This is his that. deep passion. Him and Cheryl Cooper, and when they're not on the road, they are here, working with the kids. Alice's wife, Cheryl is a Joffrey Ballet grad dancer. She's one of the most renowned dancers in the world. She's been on stage with Alice for 40 plus years, and she just did a master class in Goodyear for dancers as well as our other teen centers. And you'll see Alice come in and literally listen to music in the recording studio and just hang out watch kids at open mic. And you'll see Alice do it a songwriting class when we have our music competition. Every year, Alice is often there cheering the kids on. Last year, we did a free Alice Cooper performance as a surprise for kids in Goodyear at Palm Valley church as a part of the music competition, Alice invites teens to perform with him all the time at our different events, like our Christmas pudding event, we'll have teens on stage at our Goodyear grand opening on april 26 with Alice. So yes, they're very hands on, working with the organization and really, really believe in the youth.
Host Jordan Byrd:So we talked about these teen centers. We talked about the volunteers. Is there any other ways that people can get involved to help support these teen centers?
Randy Spencer:Well, first of all, if anyone wants to volunteer or just see the same. Or I invite them just to come over and take a tour. We're open Monday through Friday, two to
7:30 so just literally drop in and just come over. But if you do want to support youth, what's one thing that's really a super unique opportunity, and we're very privileged about, is we have a specialty plate, and Alice Cooper license plate is now out through ADOT in the state of Arizona. And anybody that spends $25 just like the ASU plate or the Phoenix Children's Hospital plate, that$17 of that 25 will go right back to the teen centers. And if they want to support youth and the arts, and they also want their car to look cooler than their neighbors car, yes, they will have Alice Cooper on their car. And, more importantly, support youth and our work. So we hope that you know we see all of Goodyear go get that license plate.
Host Jordan Byrd:Well, Randy, thank you so much for taking the time and joining us today. We are so excited to have you guys in Goodyear, and we cannot wait for the grand opening on April 26 thank you for taking the time.
Randy Spencer:Yeah, thanks for the opportunity. We look forward to growing a great center in Goodyear together.
Host Jordan Byrd:Well, there's no question the impact that the Alice Cooper solid rock teen centers are having on the youth here in the valley and now in Goodyear and the West Valley, but to give an example of what that is like to be a teen visiting the Alice Cooper solid rock teen center and what that experience is like for those individual youngsters. We're now being joined by Jameson, who has a very unique story where it originated as being a visitor of the teen center and now has translated into a budding musical career and a full time job. Jameson, first of all, thank you for joining us on the Growing Goodyear podcast, and if you don't mind, maybe explain a little bit about your history with Alice Cooper, solid rock teen center.
Jameson Houston:Yeah, totally. So when I was 12 years old, is when I first started coming to the teen center. And ever since, like, the first day, I just felt such a connection to the teen center, I was just welcomed. I mean, immediately I made so many friends, so quickly, they were just so open to take me in. Immediately I started getting just into all of the classes, especially the songwriting class. And that was probably the most like pivotal moment is when I joined songwriting class, because now I have probably written over 150 songs with other artists also. And I mean, that really sparked my real true love for music. I also learned how to sing there taking vocal lessons and everything and so, yeah, so from 12 till about 16, I was just a teen, and then when I was 16 years old, they hired me to do smoothies for the rock because we got a grant. And so that's kind of how I started my employee journey here, which was super awesome. I mean, I got few hours a week, but I felt, I felt important through that, that they would choose me specifically, and it was just so amazing, because the only reason I got that job is really because I grew up. I grew up at the Teen Center, and so they had seen the fruits of my life through that, and they've seen me through pretty much every moment in my teenage years. But yeah, there were some hardships that I went through when I was about 15 years old that The Rock really, really got me through. I had run away, had just gone into a lot of dark things, and the rock and all of the staff there really just came in and just took me in again. And it was really amazing to just have a family that wasn't exactly related to me, but just felt like it, um, but yeah. So ever since, so when I was 16, that's when I worked for the smoothie car, and then when I turned it was about when I was about to turn 18, they offered me pretty much a full time position here and told me I was going to be in Goodyear, which was super exciting, because, you know, just being in the Phoenix center was absolutely amazing, but being able to go on a new journey was way more exciting. Oh, and just getting to start something completely new and that we hadn't done before, just in a different area, completely different structure than the rest of the teen centers. It's just, it's just super amazing to also see just the evolution of the rock.
Host Jordan Byrd:That's pretty incredible. How did you initially come to the teen center? Were you already into music growing up?
Jameson Houston:My dad was always in bands, so I'd always seen him. He'd always pushed us to do music. And obviously it's like our dad. So we were like, No, we're not gonna do that. That's silly. Um, and then also, my grandpa, he even played, like the Grand Ole Opry stuff like that. So I've been around music my entire life, um, but yeah, so I don't think I've really found a love of it until I found where my talent really was, because I felt like I was trying to look too broad, and I just felt so like, untalented, if that makes sense, because I was trying everything, and I didn't really hone my skill. And then once I figured out that I could write songs, that's when I was like, oh, okay, like, music's kind of cool, and this is something that I can actually do well. And so yeah, I think the rock, like, literally, if I had never stepped in that songwriting class, I don't think I would have won the competition. I don't think I would be where I'm like, now
Host Jordan Byrd:Well, and it's also incredible, because, as you mentioned, you kind of started this at a young age, and now, probably in your wildest imagination, when you were a teen, never thinking that this would become your profession as well.
Jameson Houston:No, definitely. I remember always making jokes, because all my little friends would always be like, Oh yeah, we're totally gonna work at the Rock one day when we're younger. It was just kind of a pie in the sky idea. And when they offered me this, like, more full time position, it. Was like a dream come true, because I was actually working somewhere else for a little bit, because I took a break, and when I came back, it was just like, yeah. So it was really amazing, just a godsend that they let me work here again. But yeah. So it's like, I have always dreamed of this job, and it's even better than I imagined, especially this new center.
Host Jordan Byrd:So coming up here in just a few days, April 26 it is the grand opening of the Goodyear location for Alice Cooper, solid rock teen center. It's my understanding that you're gonna be one of the performers that day. Is that correct?
Jameson Houston:Yes, sir, my band Rib, we actually won last year. It's me and my best friend Eden. She's the assistant director at the Phoenix center, actually, which is really funny. So yeah, we won the competition last year, and so they offered us to play at the Goodyear center, which I think is really awesome, because, I mean, like, we have a broad spectrum of people playing, and we kind of bring the country genre here, so it's going to be a little different than most of our Teen Center shows.
Host Jordan Byrd:You talked about your experience being kind of a user of the teen center through your teen years, now that you're in a staff role, and you have kind of the mentor mentee relationship flipped. What is that for you? What are you get out of it? Personally, being a mentor to the youth in the West Valley.
Jameson Houston:I mean, it's just amazing to even see the growth. I mean, like, we haven't really been open for that long. I mean, roughly two months a little less, and we already have kids that are regulars, and it's just been so amazing to see them grow so quickly. Just like most of the kids that come here, they're searching for friendships and they're searching for, like, new talents that they haven't found yet. But it's so crazy because, like, the center is just one big friend group, which is absolutely amazing all ages, like every everybody does everything together. And so it's just amazing because all the kids are also open to asking us questions and learning new things, just like, super quickly, all of the friendships that have grown because kids that you would never think would be friends, like, are best friends now. And so I think that's definitely the coolest thing to see, just because I feel like there's nowhere else that you can get that because, I mean, school is so age segregated, just you kind of go into your clicks, and here it's like everybody is together in one room and so everybody's friends, but that's definitely the coolest thing that I've seen.
Host Jordan Byrd:What would be your suggestion to someone who is thinking about coming to Alice Cooper solid rock teen center in Goodyear?
Jameson Houston:Yeah, I would say, come once. Just see if you like it. Give it a shot, because you're gonna regret if you don't come here. I mean, every parent that's walked in here is like, why don't you have something like this? When I was a kid, I'm like, I wish we could have opened one 20 years ago, and so I feel like you definitely should try it at least once, or else you regret it forever, because it's the craziest, most awesome opportunity that can get you gigs. It can get you jobs. It can pretty much get you anything you want in life, in a full career.
Host Jordan Byrd:Well, Jameson, once again, you and your band, Rib will be performing April 26 here at the Alice Cooper solid rock, teen center, grand opening in Goodyear. Can I trouble you to ask for a little bit of a sampling of what people might hear from a Rib performance on April 26?
Jameson Houston:Yes, sir. I'll play you our original song.
Music:you can come up a promise, I don't play. You can spin me around this floor, if you like. I just need to dance. Get some courage, boy, I'll give you a chance. I can stand here all night.
Host Jordan Byrd:Well, Tammy, as we kind of talked about in the beginning of this episode, I have learned so much about what solid rock teen centers do, not only with what they offer, the types of different genres, but the way that they really are making an impact in changing lives on the youth here in the Valley.
Unknown:And to think that you know your child, or perhaps you, if you're if you're a teen or young adult, you could, you could literally just walk into this center, no questions asked, and just say, hey, I need a place to to learn and to grow. And they're just gonna say, Come on in, take a seat and let's get started.
Host Jordan Byrd:That is amazing, and they do it all for free, which is such an amazing story and such a wonderful demonstration of the type of philanthropy that is here in the West Valley and in the valley where people are donating their time as volunteers, their resources and equipment and money to help facilitate this. So when teens do go to this facility in Goodyear, they get to experience all of this completely free of charge, which is just absolutely amazing.
Music:And it wouldn't be without really the heart of Alice Cooper and his wife, who we have learned so much about them, and also not just in the in the vein of philanthropy, but this is really near and dear to their heart, and thanks to Alice, just his world renowned reputation in the music industry, this center will be such a success for our city.
Host Jordan Byrd:And as you heard throughout this episode, when you pop into the Goodyear location. At any given time, there's a chance that Alice himself may be there, or other rock stars that are stopping into town. I mean, that is such a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a teen, to be interested in music and to be learning from these rock and roll and musical icons. It's just I can't get over how unique of an experience it is for the teens here in Goodyear.
Unknown:And I know our mayor and our city council are so honored and excited to have Alice Cooper's vision and partnership here in Goodyear, Arizona. So again, thank you to Alice Cooper and his entire organization with the two solid rock teen centers for choosing Goodyear.
Host Jordan Byrd:So we hope you enjoyed listening to this episode of the Growing Goodyear podcast as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. And don't forget coming up in just a few days, April 26 from 11am to 2pm it will be the grand opening of the Alice Cooper solid rock Teen Center here in Goodyear. But don't, don't make that be a deterrent. You can still go and check out that facility Monday through Friday, 2pm to 7:30pm and that grand opening event, I should say that is going to be on Van Buren, right near the teen center between Bullard and Litchfield road. So once again, thank you so much for joining us on this episode of the Growing Goodyear podcast. And remember, it's always a great time to be in Goodyear.
Close:That concludes this episode of Growing Goodyear, make sure to leave us a review and subscribe on your favorite streaming or podcast player app. If you have any questions or comments, email us at communications at Goodyear, az.gov and don't forget to follow us on the city of Goodyear's social media pages.