Summer Work Program Wraps Up its Fifth Year of Achievement
By Drew Milne
Summer 2026 is winding down and the Sonoran Center's Summer Work Program has wrapped up its biggest season yet. Having started in 2021, the Summer Work Program has wrapped up its fifth year, and shows no signs of slowing down.
“This year the program expanded,” said Kelsey Montaño, Sonoran Center Pre-Employment Transition Services Project Coordinator. We had 230 students, 79 employers, and nine AdvoCat trainees participating across eight counties across Arizona (Apache, Cochise, Maricopa, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yuma). This is up from last year’s 200 student participants and 60 employer partners in six counties.”
This year, the Summer Work Program has continued to help students with disabilities earn real money for real work in competitive, integrated employment settings. Participants built valuable experience, strengthened community connections, and made memories that will last a lifetime.
A wide range of employers worked with participants, including ACE Hardware, Walgreens, the Reid Park Zoo, Bookmans, Sonoran Stitch, Habitat for Humanity, and more! The range of job tasks was just as wide – from behind the desk to out in the field.
When asked about what contributed to the program’s success, Montaño replied, “I think our general outreach, networking with local schools and getting the word out. The social media pushes are always really helpful. There’s been more collaboration with our community partners and vocational rehabilitation. They were a big help this year in signing their clients up for these services, which is great because that's the end goal: making sure that we have each other to lean on to provide these experiences for youth with disabilities.”
The expansion of the program is largely attributed to new employers wanting to partner with the Sonoran Center. The center focuses on building a community that benefits from full participation of all members; a message that has resonated with people all throughout the state.
“Big wins that stand out to me for this summer are expanding into Yuma county and the Hopi tribal community. Starting in a brand new community, the foundational work takes a lot of effort. It's building relationships. It's developing employer connections. It's building the relationship with the local VR. It's building relationships with the family,” said Loretta Alvarez, Sonoran Center Transition Program Manager.
Of course, numbers only tell part of the story. Each participant in the Summer Work Program has their own story to tell. Montaño and Alvarez have watched many participants go through the program, and while there are similarities, each one is completely unique.
“There's always students that got to the 120 hours [the maximum hours available for Summer Work Program participants] or encouraged to apply [for a job with the Summer Work Program placement or employer]. That's always a win," Alvarez said. “But there's also those really small moments of, for example, ‘I didn't want to come to work and I came today.’ Some of our students don't really know how to ask for help or feel comfortable talking to anybody, and by the end they're talking with their coworkers and advocating for themselves. These things where we get to see growth and it's small, but you know that it's going to be so meaningful for that individual student and how they're able to then move forward. One of the biggest things that I think we see is the increase in confidence. Such a huge part of going into the world of work is feeling confident that you have skills and things to bring to the table and that people want you to be a part of their work.”
“There are so many wins that you see every day, and some of them surprise us,” Montaño added. “I would say almost every shift, every day.”
In addition to new job sites, locations, and participants, the Summer Work Program has expanded its involvement with AdvoCats. The AdvoCats program gives students the opportunity to put the values of inclusion and acceptance into action through experiential learning. Students gain valuable skills giving feedback and support to people with disabilities, skills they can carry wherever they go – after graduation and beyond.
After shadowing job coaches for students with disabilities during work-based learning in the Spring semester, AdvoCats took on a paid position as a job coach during the summer work program.
“It’s nice to have college students who are interested in supporting the population that we serve come in with a fresh perspective. That feedback is really important to know what's working well and what's not,” Montaño said.
While the Summer Work Program has many new opportunities this year, other things stayed the same. After all, as the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
The newly-established Arizona Office of Employment First strengthened their partnership with the Summer Work Program as well.
“Employment First has always been the foundation of the work that we do,” said Alvarez. “As the Office's reach continues to grow, I think that will also be another way that people will hopefully hear about the summer work program.”
Arizona Vocational Rehabilitation has remained another valued partner of the Summer Work Program.
“It wouldn't be possible without their funding and support. We appreciate them so much,” Alvarez said.
Next year, Montaño, Alvarez, and the rest of the Summer Work Program staff hope to continue the Program’s upward momentum and build off the Program’s successful first five years.
