Innovation Hub

INNOVATION HUB DREAM BIG

By Connie Mitchell Photos courtesy of Starkloff Disability Institute

In 2016, Colleen Starkloff broke her leg. The injury forced Starkloff, a busy and respected expert in disability rights, to take some time off, but she didn’t just sit idly as her leg healed.

“I was thinking about what we should do to reach out to teenagers,” says Starkloff, who with her late husband, Max Starkloff, founded the St. Louis-based nonprofits Paraquad Inc. and the Starkloff Disability Institute. “With my broken leg, I had some time and inspiration,” she adds with a chuckle.

During her recovery, Starkloff developed the idea for a program in which the institute would engage with corporate partners to allow high school and college students with disabilities to visit various companies, meet with personnel and learn about how people with disabilities can find fulfilling careers in different work and corporate environments. She met with Betty Davidson, then supervisor/area coordinator for the Special School District of St. Louis County, and began putting a plan together.

Starkloff’s intention was to expose young people to many different types of opportunities – to encourage them to dream big. In the summer of 2017, the Starkloff Disability Institute, along with five corporate partners, offered the first week-long Dream Big Summer Career Camp. The response was overwhelmingly positive. This summer, there will be four week-long camps featuring 20 different corporate partners.

“One of the requirements for our partners is that when we bring our campers to them, they say, ‘We would love to have you work here,’” Starkloff says. “It’s important that we tell young people that there’s an opportunity for you in the world. It’s waiting for you to prepare yourself for a career with whatever companies you think are really aligned with what you’d like to do.”

During each week of the camp, students spend every day exploring careers and learning about the necessary skills to attain them. Corporate partners – including some of St. Louis’ largest companies, such as Ameren, Bayer, Centene Corp. and Mercy – provide hands-on activities that allow campers to get a taste of how they might fit into the workplace. One week of camp is virtual, and the other three are in person. Participants also can choose a week focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers or on trade and technical careers. Costs vary per week.

“I would really like to encourage companies that would like to be engaged with us in this effort to contact us,” Starkloff says. “We’re always looking for companies that are eager to hire people with disabilities and help us create a pipeline of talent. The more companies and the more opportunities we can expose young people to, the more folks with disabilities will prepare themselves for their future careers.” ln Dream Big Summer Career Camps, 314-588-7090, dreambigcamp.org

Starkloff Disability Institute, 133 11th St., Ste. 500, St. Louis, 314-588-7090, starkloff.org