Community Foundation of Southern Arizona’s (CFSA) Nonprofit Solar Project grant recipient, Youth On Their Own (YOTO), celebrates the completion of their solar energy installation!
For 43 years, CFSA has brought together individuals, families, businesses, nonprofits, and ideas to make Southern Arizona a better place for everyone. We envision a future when our communities use resources sustainably and have the capacity to adapt to changing needs with compassion for humans, animals, and our desert environment. One way we are accomplishing this is through our Nonprofit Solar Project that provides solar panels for local nonprofits.
“YOTO is thrilled to unveil our new solar panels! We expect that 61% of our energy needs will be met through solar, allowing us to dedicate more of our resources to supporting youth experiencing homelessness every year. Thank you, CFSA, for making this project possible,” shared Elizabeth Slater, CEO of YOTO.
When we work together, the impossible becomes possible. In Southern Arizona, we BLOOM together.
Read KGUN9’s full article here.
What is the Nonprofit Solar Project?
Launched in 2022 as a partnership between CFSA and Solar United Neighbors (SUN), the Nonprofit Solar Project helps local community service organizations meet a significant portion of their energy needs through solar power. The project is funded primarily through the generous support of an anonymous CFSA donor. To help expand the project’s reach, Tucson Foundations contributed an additional $100,000 and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) added $15,000. In total, CFSA and its partners invested $630,000 to provide solar installations for six nonprofit organizations through the first round of funding in 2023. The nonprofits included: BICAS, Coyote TaskForce, The Drawing Studio, Edge High School, Emerge! Center Against Domestic Violence, and Youth On Their Own.
SUN estimates the new solar energy system will save Edge High School $1,112 per month in energy costs; on average this represents an approximate annual savings of 70%. Over the next 20 years, the estimated savings will be $146,313, with a breakeven point on the cost of the installation of approximately nine years.
Learn more about the Nonprofit Solar Project at https://cfsaz.org/solar/
About Youth On Their Own
Youth On Their Own (YOTO) is a dropout prevention program that supports the high school graduation and continued success of youth experiencing homelessness in Pima County.
The organization was founded in 1986 when Ann Young, a guidance counselor in the Amphitheater School District, noticed that talented and motivated students were dropping out of school due to homelessness and being forced to live on their own without a parent or guardian. Inspired by the students’ tenacity and willingness to stay in school, other school counselors, teachers, volunteers, and community members came together to form YOTO with the goal of helping students graduate.
After consulting with her fellow teachers, Young’s initial idea was to buy a home for a group of homeless teenage girls. She presented this proposal, along with the stories of the students she aimed to help, to a group gathered at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church dedicated to assisting Tucson’s homeless community. People were appalled at the situations they were in, and jumped at the opportunity to lend them a hand. Soon, Young had an army of volunteers. She even managed to raise $80,000 in a single morning, thanks to the generosity of the congregation.
The money funded a group residence for homeless girls. Known as the St. Andrew’s Friendly Environment (SAFE) House, it quickly became apparent that SAFE House was not large enough to accommodate all of the students who needed services. It became increasingly expensive and was too much for one volunteer parent to handle. The community stepped forward again, and many families volunteered to take care of these students in need. It was an unexpected check from a New York City charitable foundation, though, that launched a stipend program to greatly increase the aid available to homeless teens.
Young’s experience with the SAFE House, which closed after two years, encouraged her to further expand the program. She applied for grants and spread the word about the charitable work the organization was doing. At this point, it was known as the Pima County Homeless Teen Project — a marketing specialist later dubbed it Youth on Their Own — and Young knew that if she wanted to continue her project, she would have to apply to become a full-fledged 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation. After successfully gaining the designation, YOTO applied for and won a grant from Angel Charity for $100,000 for the stipend program in 1990. That funding coupled with a community-wide advertising campaign gave YOTO the exposure it needed to really take off and become the program it is today.
Since then, over 16,000 homeless and compromised students have been empowered to stay in school and pursue opportunities for self-sufficiency. Learn more about YOTO here.