For Lola Kernell, the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to Kansas City meant a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Through Mission-based nonprofit Down Syndrome Innovations, Kernell and 10 other people with intellectual disabilities worked the World Cup matches in Kansas City over the past month.
Kernell said her role at the World Cup in Kansas City was an “amazing” experience, especially because she loves soccer. It’s also similar to her job as a staffer for the Kansas City Chiefs during football season.
The part she liked best of all, though, was experiencing different cultures in Kansas City.
“I usually don’t pick favorites of anything, but I guess the parts I really liked were just meeting the different people, getting to experience their cultures and listening to their national anthems,” Kernell said. “That was a lot of fun.”
Outside of her work at the World Cup and with the Kansas City Chiefs, Kernell is also an advocacy coordinator for the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities — and is the first individual with Down Syndrome who is a full-time state employee.
Kernell worked the Club Level Penthouse at the World Cup
For a few years now, Kernell has been part of Down Syndrome Innovations’ Adults Continuing Education program.
Kernell said she started out as an intern at Nautical Manufacturing and Fulfillment.
Then, she landed a job — through the Adults Continuing Education program — working as a penthouse greeter for the Kansas City Chiefs.
That was her same job during the five matches Kernell worked during the FIFA World Cup’s stint in Kansas City, where she greeted guests in the club penthouse, scanned tickets and passed out cards for gifts after the end of the matches.
Still, Kernell said, there were some differences.
“A lot of the stuff was changed,” Kernell said. “It went from Arrowhead to the Kansas City Stadium, so we had a lot of name changes that we had to go through.”
Kernell said she worked all five of the World Cup matches that have already been hosted in Kansas City, but she is not working the July 11 matchup between Argentina and Switzerland.
Overall, Kernell said it was an enjoyable experience.
“The atmosphere was very cultural, I would say,” Kernell said. “Everyone, from my experience, was mostly happy. I think they were accommodating to people with disabilities.”
This is part of the nonprofit’s employment services program
Down Syndrome Innovations is a Mission-based nonprofit that works with individuals with Down syndrome across their lifespan to offer support and resources like occupational therapy, speech, behavior, health and wellness.
Director of Employment Services Amanda Myers built the nonprofit’s employment services program from the ground up, officially launching it in December 2021.
Now, Down Syndrome Innovations works with over 40 employers in the Kansas City metro area to place almost 200 individuals with intellectual disabilities — not just Down syndrome — in jobs that fit their skill set.
Myers said people like Kernell, who already work for the Kansas City Chiefs during football season, were asked to work the World Cup, too.
The opportunity to work at the World Cup is “a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to be a part of something that is a global experience,” Myers said.
While Down Syndrome Innovations has always felt supported by the Kansas City community, Myers said, seeing that support expand to international fans was particularly special.
“We hope that it shows other communities and other countries that individuals with disabilities can be in these high-level positions and can do the same job as everyone else,” Myers said. “Hopefully it sets a higher standard for people to just see that being role modeled.”
For people like Kernell who are working the matches, Myers said, the opportunity allows them to meet people from all over the world and be part of something on an international level.
“I’ve really seen them increase their skills and abilities, and they’ve just been so passionate and energetic for the fans,” Myers said. “It’s just been a whole other level of experience for them.”
Keep reading causes and community news: She beat cancer 6 times. Now this OP entrepreneur is hoping for a World Cup-sized win
