Explore our site to learn about all the ways we honor Cooper, his life, and his big heart.
This is Cooper Stock.
We are a non-profit organization set up in memory of Cooper Dean Stock, who was killed at age 9 on January 10, 2014 by a reckless taxi driver in New York City. The number of children who are killed yearly in traffic crashes is staggering. This is a silent epidemic which needs to be acknowledged. We promote traffic safety & pedestrian rights in the hope of preventing other families from experiencing this heartbreak.
Cooper's passion for basketball inspired Coop's Hoops, which allows for disadvantaged children to attend the weeklong basketball camp that Cooper loved so much. Each year we are able to send about 75 kids to Coop's Hoops basketball camp in his name. Coop's Hoops is the brainchild of a dear friend of the Stock family, Jackie Kern. Jackie has worked tirelessly for the last 6+ years to ensure the kids have the best week they can. She is the person who makes it all happen.
In 2012, Cooper met Vakaramoko Touré, a fitness instructor and personal trainer at the JCC in Manhattan. They hit it off immediately and quickly formed a special friendship. Because of this special bond, The Cooper Stock Project for Tiewa and Tangodou was born and work is currently underway to begin the manual drilling of a new well in Touré's West African hometown. Access to safe water can dramatically improve the lives of many families, thanks to Cooper's one-of-a-kind love for each and every human he encountered.
Cooper told his mother about the new movie starring her childhood heroes, but kindly refused to see it because it was for kids and “not inappropriate enough."
MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN
+
THE LITTLE ADULT
+
Cooper’s sense of humor always preceded his years. He took great pride in this!
JESUS SIGHTINGS
+
Despite not being raised in a Christian faith, Cooper was inexplicably a fan of Jesus sightings in everyday objects.
STEWIE GRIFFIN
+
While some kids sleep with a teddy bear, Cooper much preferred the foul-mouthed, evil baby Stewie.
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
+
One of Cooper’s greatest joys was staying up past his bedtime to binge “Arrested Development” while his dad slept next to him.
One of Cooper’s greatest joys was staying up past his bedtime to binge “Arrested Development” while his dad slept next to him.
To say Cooper was devoted to dogs, and they to him, is an understatement.
A Message from Cooper's Mother
When my son Cooper Dean Stock was born on August 9, 2004, the first thing the MD said (after, “it’s a boy!”) was that he came out “sunny side up.” Most babies are born with their heads facing down, but his was up. During his short but meaningful life on earth, he truly embodied that sentiment.
Cooper loved to laugh. He found humor in almost everything. His teachers had only one problem with him; they could not get him to stop laughing or telling jokes. A friend of mine described him as “the life of the party, even when there was no party.” He was a true extrovert and wanted everyone to join in the fun with him.
He wanted to be a part of every conversation and was able to connect to just about anyone, young or old. His curiosity was boundless. He had an incredible knowledge of sports trivia. People sometimes thought he was an adult in a kid’s body. Basketball was his favorite sport. At New York Knicks games, he would high five all of the people around him after a good play (and everyone was happy to do so).
Music is a religion to our family. We spent a lot of time listening to great tunes at home and in our car. He loved The Beatles, The Allman Brothers, and Led Zeppelin, to name only a few. The first song that Cooper went truly crazy over was “Snow (Hey Oh)” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. We must have listened to it one million times. We were fortunate to have gone to see them in concert. When I hear the music he loved, it is painful and beautiful at the same time. I feel the connection to him very strongly.
Cooper was truly a good soul. He cared so deeply about people, both friends and strangers. He knew how fortunate he was and he shared his kindness and compassion in so many ways. Among his friends, Cooper was known as the group’s peacemaker. I did not learn this until after he passed away, but I was not surprised because I know how much he wanted things to be good in this world.
As time has moved forward, so has his legacy. It has morphed into what I have coined, ‘The Wide World of Cooper Stock.’ There is something limitless about his life, as it seems to keep growing. In Guinea, Africa, plans are underway to build a school in Cooper’s name in the village of Thiewa, Beyla, which will transform education for the children as well as delivering running water. Hundreds of NYC kids (many of them homeless) have had the chance to go to Coop’s Hoops Basketball Camp and learn from the best. The formation of Families for Safe Streets has given voice to the traffic violence epidemic in our country. Countless lives have been saved through education and advocacy.
Meanwhile, by the Mediterranean Sea, in the village of Aci Castello, Sicily sits a bench placed in Cooper’s memory. The setting is magnificent, surrounded with greenery and overlooking the breathtaking Mediterranean Sea. Cooper’s dad and I were fortunate enough to travel to see it in 2019. It was there that I gathered my courage and was able listen to the RHCP again.
​
The Zephyr Song is featured on this homepage. The lyrics “Fly away on my zephyr / I feel it more than ever / And in this perfect weather / We’ll find a place together” seem fitting. It is my Cooper, my Little Wing, in the form of a song, beautiful and everlasting.
Thank you so much for visiting and for your support of Cooper’s legacy.
The bench that honors Cooper and the view of the Mediterranean Sea behind it. Aci Castello, Italy. Read more about the bench below:
In the town of Aci Castello, Sicily, a bench honoring Cooper sits overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Karen La Rosa, whose son and daughter-in-law teach at Cooper’s school, heard about what happened and was inspired to create the bench all on her own. Her company, La RosaWorks, runs authentic tours of Sicily inspired by her heritage and had the bench built on a friend’s property.
The plaque in the middle reads “Sit here and rest together, under the warmth of the sun, looking at the sea, with the assurance of life all around you. For Cooper, Gianna, Dana and Richard.” Aci Castello, Sicily.
The inscription:
Sit here and rest together,
under the warmth of the sun,
looking at the sea,
with the assurance of life all around you.
For Cooper, Gianna, Dana & Richard
