How Solar is Creating a Lifelong Impact on Rockford Youth

In the heart of Rockford, Illinois, Comprehensive Community Solutions (CCS) is a beacon of hope and empowerment for the city’s youth and residents. Founded in 1992, by probation officer Kerry Knodle, CCS began with a focus on helping young people navigate life after encountering the justice system. Over time, its efforts expanded into a holistic approach aimed at addressing broader community needs and additional youth services.

One of the challenges CCS faced, however, was how to maximize their resources. That’s when Greenlink Energy Solutions—whose main mission is “Less Grid, More Good”—came into the picture.

Through the Illinois Solar for All program, Greenlink installed a 100 KW rooftop solar system on the CCS headquarters, designed to offset the majority of their energy consumption. The system not only reduces their energy bills but is expected to save them hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next 25 years, ensuring that more of their funds go directly to serving the community.

“When you're working at my level in a nonprofit, you're looking for ways to maximize the usage of the funds that you have… so if I have utility bills that are eating up 25% of the grant funds that come in, that could be a huge hit on us when we're trying to do some of the positive things,” Executive Director and CEO William Chatman explained. “[Greenlink] got my attention by saying that we could possibly lower our electric bill, and my thought process was if we lower that electric bill, we can put more money into working with our young people.”

For CCS, every dollar counts, and high utility bills were taking up a significant portion of funds that could otherwise be used for their youth programs.

“Greenlink was very knowledgeable, because I didn’t know anything about solar panels,” said Chatman. But when the team at Greenlink understood CCS’s mission and needs, they saw the perfect alignment between their solar solutions and the community-driven goals of CCS. This partnership became more than just about saving money—it was a shared vision of growth, sustainability, and community impact.

As Greenlink President Austin Carr explained, the system “…is going to offset the majority of their supply side… and beyond just the environmental and operational impacts, it’s about supporting organizations putting their best foot forward in Rockford.”

For Greenlink’s team, seeing the installation come to life was a powerful experience.

“I stood up there taking pictures, walking around the roof looking out over our city and thinking to myself, ‘This is going to happen all throughout there, we’re going to help people all throughout this community,’” said Jared Cacciatore, Greenlink’s Chief Revenue Officer.

With solar energy now supporting their operations, CCS can redirect funds previously allocated for utilities into serving more youth, providing more meals, and creating opportunities for growth and change. This solar project stands as a shining example of what happens when vision meets action, and when organizations come together with a shared mission to create lasting change. 

Click here to learn more about this incredible project: https://usgreenlink.com/stories/comprehensive-community-solutions/