In 1964, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Alice Cooper started his first band while attending Cortez High School in Phoenix.   

Just 16 years old, Cooper said he and his fellow band mates started the group because "we were young and bored, looking for something to do, and The Beatles had just come out, so everyone wanted to be like them."

Cooper's "boredom" led him to become an award-winning, "million record seller," which he wrote as his greatest ambition in his high school yearbook. 

Nearly 60 years later, Cooper is helping teenagers chase their own artistic dreams through Alice Cooper's Solid Rock, giving back to the community that shaped his career when he was their age.

Cooper maintains that "a teen's worst enemy is too much time on their hands." As such, Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Centers, located in Phoenix and Mesa, provide young beneficiaries a plethora of artistic activities and opportunities.

From free private lessons in guitar, vocals and piano, to group classes in dance, studio recording and art, the Solid Rock Teen Centers provide a safe, engaging environment where teens can go during non-school hours to discover their passion.

A faith-based organization, Solid Rock's mission is to help teens meet their spiritual, economic, physical and social needs through these creative outlets. 

"Nobody gives more than God," Cooper said. "God gave us creativity. God gave us a chance to express ourselves. God gave us a purpose. What Solid Rock gives is a venue for those gifts."

The teen centers welcome 50 to 100 teens daily and, since opening its doors in 1995, Solid Rock has impacted hundreds of at-risk teens in the State of Arizona.

For his dedication to serving youth in the community, Alice Cooper was named a Grand Marshal of the 2021 Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner and Rowe.

The Parade's theme is "Gold Standard: A Commitment to Comm-UNITY," a sentiment that Cooper perfectly encapsulates.

"When they asked me to be a Grand Marshal, I immediately said yes in support of the Fiesta Bowl and in support of Phoenix," Cooper said. "The Fiesta Bowl supports charities like mine so it's really meaningful to be a part of this event."

Alice Cooper's Solid Rock was a grant recipient of Fiesta Bowl Charities during the 2020-21 grant cycle.

As a nonprofit organization, Solid Rock relies on donations and revenue generated from its two annual events, Alice Cooper's Rock & Roll Golf Classic and Gala and Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding concert.  

"Both of our big events were canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic," Cooper said. "The Fiesta Bowl grant really saved us and allowed us to keep running our Teen Centers during really tough times for everyone."

Cooper is joined as Grand Marshal by the Fiesta Bowl Founders, whose vision to bring a Bowl game to Arizona has impacted the state in immeasurable ways for the past 50 years. 

The Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner and Rowe will take place on Saturday, December 18, beginning at 10 a.m. in Central Phoenix at N Central Ave & Montebello Ave.