BUILDING BLOCKS 

               The Building Blocks Solar Light Initiative began in 2022 in response to concerns shared by Northside residents about safety on their blocks. They expressed that the lighting on their streets was dim or non-existent and believed more lighting would help make their blocks feel safer and potentially decrease crime rates. Building Blocks listened. Working alongside residents, we launched the Solar Light Initiative to bring more lighting directly to the neighborhoods and residents we serve. The results were immediate, not only did the lights help improve visibility and increase residents’ sense of safety, but they also added a sense of beauty and pride to the blocks where they were installed. As word spread throughout the Northside, more residents requested solar lights for their blocks. To date, 17 blocks on the Northside alone have been “lit up” through the initiative.

 

What began in the Northside has continued to grow. Residents in other neighborhoods saw the impact of the initiative and requested solar lights for their own blocks. Over the last four years, the program has expanded into the Eastside, West Douglas, and Edison neighborhoods. In 2025, Building Blocks installed 136 solar-powered lights with address plaques across four neighborhoods, bringing the total number of blocks illuminated through this program to 47! 

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​​One of the things that makes this initiative so unique is that the lights are not simply purchased and installed. Building Blocks staff, volunteers, and participating residents assemble the lights piece by piece before working together to install them throughout the neighborhood. Each light becomes a visible reminder of what can happen when neighbors come together around a shared goal, to build community one block at a time.

 

While the lights increase visibility and are beautiful to look at, they also represent something bigger: community working together to create positive change where they live. As the initiative continues to grow, our hope is to bring light to even more blocks throughout Kalamazoo, helping residents build safer, stronger, and more connected communities, one block at a time, for years to come.