Goodwill opens doors to ‘second chances and brighter futures’ with The Excel Center in Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois has opened its new Excel Center, a tuition-free high school that gives adults a second chance to earn their high school diploma and find a pathway to higher education or a new career.

The Goodwill Excel Center is located within the SwedishAmerican Riverfront YMCA, 200 Y Blvd., in downtown Rockford. It’s the first of its kind in Illinois.

“Without a diploma, too many doors stay closed. The Excel Center will open these doors,” said Ben Bernsten, president of Goodwill Northern Illinois, during a news conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday. “This is not just a school, it’s an economic engine, a workforce solution and a community transformational strategy.”

The center is designed to provide flexible classes for learners 18 and older who have faced barriers to completing their high school education. The school is opening Monday with 150 students and will have ongoing registration every eight weeks.

“Today is a new beginning. Today is about success. Today is that one step for me to be that business entrepreneur I’m looking forward to being,” said Ledoshia Oliver, who is in the inaugural class at The Excel Center. “This is my next step to say that I’m here, I’m on the right path. I’m enthused, my spirit’s here, I’ve got a lot of people behind me.”

Oliver, 45, said she had given up on high school during her first run in the 1990s. The Excel Center marks a new beginning and a chance to prove to herself and her family that she didn’t quit on her education. She said her next step is college as she looks to advance her career.

“It gave the opportunity to say, you don’t have to give up,” said Oliver, who now works as a machine operator at Charter Next Generation in Milton, Wisconsin. “Now it’s time for me to step in and further my education, and strive and go for what I know I have the capabilities to do.”

The classrooms, offices and computer labs are located on the second floor of the YMCA. Free child care is offered in a newly remodeled Kids’ Care center on the first floor of the YMCA. Officials also cut the ribbon on the child care center on Wednesday.

The Excel Center was designed by 1919 Architects and built by Schmeling Construction, with murals from local artist Brett Whitacre adding pops of color to the space.

There are an estimated 30,000 people in Winnebago County who don’t have a high school diploma, according to Goodwill. The Excel Center is designed to help them further their education and change their economic future. Graduates of Excel Centers around the country earn 38% more than their peers who do not enroll, according to a 2023 University of Notre Dame Lab for Economic Opportunities study. That study found that for every $1 invested in a student there was more than $20 in benefits.

“The return on investment is remarkable with the student-centered approach,” Bernsten said. “We can’t wait to see our first round of graduates and the impact this will have on their families.”

Mayor Tom McNamara said education builds stronger and safer communities, with studies showing higher rates of education are tied to lower instances of crime.

“Goodwill’s commitment to lifting up people, breaking down barriers and opening new doors to opportunity is something that benefits every single person who calls Rockford home,” McNamara said. “At its roots, The Excel Center is about second chances and brighter futures.”

He said The Excel Center will create life-changing opportunities.

“This program says to every single adult in our area who did not finish high school, it’s not too late,” McNamara said. “Your success still means something and it still matters to all of us.”

Goodwill said the curriculum at the Excel Center is tailored to meet the needs of adult learners, with a focus on essential subjects such as English, math, science and social studies. There are also career and technical education courses designed to give students the skills needed for high-demand jobs.

“The diploma is not the finish line. It is the launching point,” Bernsten said. “Students have the opportunity to earn industry-recognized credentials and college credits, preparing them not just for graduation but for meaningful careers with family-sustaining wages.”

The center also provides extensive support services such as life coaches, transportation assistance, connections to various community resources and the free on-site child care.

There are 48 other Excel Centers in other states across the country, with the first opening in 2010 in Indianapolis.

Since the first Excel Center opened in 2010, there have been nearly 17,000 graduates and more than 11,000 industry certifications earned. Students also earned more than 19,600 dual college credits, and 87% of Excel Center graduates either earned a certification or college credits.

Bringing an Excel Center here has been the result of nine years of work, including a change in state law in 2017 to remove the age cap for earning a high school diploma.

Then, there was the issue of funding the buildout and operations. It got a boost in 2020 when philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $5 million to Goodwill here. There was also a $1 million federal appropriation secured by former U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, a $200,000 donation from the Nicor Foundation, $100,000 in state funding, and multiple other donations.

Scott Bloomquist, regional superintendent, said Goodwill’s years of labor here will be a model for other Goodwills across the state to quickly set up their own Excel Centers. He said the “wall-busting” and barrier-removing work of Courtney Geiger, who is vice president of mission services for Goodwill, along with Bernsten and others on the team will allow for the model to expand rapidly.

“What is going to happen in this state is monumental,” Bloomquist said. “I am fully confident that we are going to see even more walls removed, more doors opened to make easier pathways to get adults their high school diploma.”

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Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct funding sources for The Excel Center project.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas