Firefly Summer Work program celebrates 10th anniversary in 2025
SPRINGFIELD — It started with fewer than 20 students in 2015. This summer, about 140 teenagers will go to work at sites across the Springfield metro area to gain training and experience they have never had before.
The Firefly Summer Work program celebrates its 10th anniversary with a record number of participants and job sites offering experience to teenagers with disabilities.
The Missouri Division of Vocational Rehab refers clients to Firefly for the Summer Work program. Students who are interested must first establish services with the Division of Vocational Rehab. There are two offices in Springfield.
“Once they are referred to our program by Vocational Rehab, they have already made a decision about what site they want to work at,” Firefly Transition Supervisor Daniel Horr said.
To be eligible for the Firefly Summer Work program, students must be at least 16 years old. They need to be on either a Missouri Department of Education Individualized Education Plan or they need to be accommodated under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities in schools and workplaces.
“To qualify for this program, they can’t have any successful work experience prior,” Horr said. “The goal for them to go through this program and learn, ‘Hey, I like this job,’ or ‘This is not what I want to do.’”
The Firefly students aren’t there to replace regular employees, but they can supplement their work or take on extra duties as the business’ summer schedule demands.
“What this program offers is an opportunity for the students to find out what they need to be successful working,” Firefly Transition Specialist Lori Dunn said. “For example, if a student is working at Hy-Vee and they have ADHD, they figure out through working that it would be beneficial to take frequent breaks and to work off checklists or with visual aids to keep them on track while working.”
Dunn says business owners and managers learn about misconceptions surrounding employee accommodations.
“Not only are we working with the students to prepare them for job placement after high school, but we are also educating the business to work with individuals with disabilities,” Dunn said. “The students prove to be productive and beneficial employees while utilizing approved accommodations. The program has helped create many positions in our community and allowed gainful experience for students to achieve successful employment after high school.”
Firefly students work Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Firefly pays the students’ wages, which compute out to about $1,650.
“We want this to be beneficial for the businesses, and it almost always works out,” Horr said.
Firefly hires about 30 temporary workers each summer to staff the Summer Work program. A Firefly team member is on hand with the students at the job site and throughout the course of their employment.
“Their responsibilities are learning the jobs that the business wants them to do and coaching them through that job,” Horr said.
Upon finishing school, many students who complete summer work programs with Firefly go on to receive assistance from Firefly Employment Services as adults.
About Firefly: Firefly Supported Living and Employment Services serves hundreds of persons with mental and/or physical disabilities so they may live independently and participate in their communities. Firefly provides individualized supported living and meaningful employment services in 23 cities across Missouri. Learn more at fireflyservices.org.
Media contact: Rance Burger, Director of Media Relations