While some bands seem to fizzle out in popularity just as abruptly as they make it big, a rare few can say that their work has stood the test of time throughout generations and gained new listeners decades after the albums were actually released.
While the Beatles or the Rolling Stones may be among the first to come to mind in this category, the sheer staying power of AC/DC’s music also can’t be underestimated. Whether it’s due to their simple-yet-effective style, or their infectious energy, the band has never seemed to stop delighting.
Thanks to some recent good news, however, it’s not rock fans that have a good reason to love AC/DC, but also the residents of Sarasota, Florida.
Sarasota has been where AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson hangs his flat cap for years, and he recently made a generous donation to its local community.
As The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported , Johnson and his wife, Brenda, donated some property to a local nonprofit called the All Star Children’s Foundation.
This property sold for $335,000, which will likely go a long way towards a big project the Foundation has in mind.
Namely, a five-acre Campus of Hope & Healing, which is intended as a safe space for abused children to recover from their experiences.
As Johnson said in a statement, “They have brought a community together in a common cause to help children who have grown up in unpredictable households where violence and neglect may have occurred. There is no greater good than what they have achieved in building the All Star Children’s Foundation campus, and Brenda and I are honored to be a part of it.”
Although the campus isn’t ready yet, it should be completed by the end of January.
When it’s completed, the campus will feature a clinical treatment center, six foster homes for single families, and a clubhouse with a computer lab, a playground, and an outdoor movie theater.
So far, the clinical building is sturdy enough that the nonprofit’s staff have already moved into it.
Johnson isn’t the only celebrity who has contributed to the foundation, and by extension, the campus project this year.
Back in July, ’60s comedy legend Dick Smothers (right) reunited with his brother Tom for their first public show in almost a decade. As Dick Smothers is also a Sarasota resident, he agreed to pass along all the proceeds of the show to the All Star Children’s Foundation.
The performance would end up selling out.
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According to the foundation’s president, Dennis McGillicuddy, both Johnson and Smothers’ contributions grew from their personal friendships with him and his wife, Graci.
As he said, “These are people who are dear friends that have supported our mission to heal the effects of child abuse for a long time.”