Our Story

Firefly’s Wildlife Rescue is a licensed, nonprofit organization based in Harrisonville, Missouri, dedicated to the care, rehabilitation, and release of native wildlife. Founded by Samantha Calvert, Firefly’s began as a small, home-based effort to give injured and orphaned animals a second chance. Today, it has grown into a trusted regional resource for wildlife care, community education, and compassionate connection between people and the wild.

At Firefly’s, each animal’s journey is treated as a story worth telling. From the moment a patient arrives — whether it’s a fawn tangled in fencing, a hawk struck by a car, or a nestling fallen from the trees — every effort is made to provide the highest standards of medical care, nutrition, and species-appropriate rehabilitation. The goal is always the same: to return healthy, capable animals to the wild where they belong.

But Firefly’s is more than a rescue. It’s a community movement built on empathy, education, and shared stewardship. Through partnerships with local schools, families, and businesses, Firefly’s connects people to the natural world through hands-on learning experiences, ambassador programs, and outreach events. By helping the public understand the “why” behind each rescue, Firefly’s transforms compassion into action — inspiring safer coexistence with the wildlife that calls Missouri home.

Looking ahead, Firefly’s Wildlife Rescue is launching its Room to Grow Capital Campaign, a multi-stage plan to create a purpose-built wildlife facility that will combine state-of-the-art rehabilitation spaces with community trails, educational classrooms, and viewing areas that foster appreciation and respect for native species. The vision is bold but simple: a place where the wild and the human meet in understanding, healing, and hope.

Our Founder-Samantha Calvert

🦉The Heart of Firefly’s

Samantha Calvert is the driving force behind Firefly’s Wildlife Rescue — not just as its founder, but as its voice, vision, and heartbeat. She has turned compassion into infrastructure, balancing empathy for every injured bird, raccoon, or opossum with a professional, standards-based approach that stands alongside major conservation organizations. Samantha views wildlife rehabilitation not simply as saving lives, but as building bridges between wild and human communities — especially in rural Missouri, where she has made education, accessibility, and empathy part of the mission.

🐾 The Multi-Hat Leader

Samantha wears a dozen hats seamlessly — wildlife rehabilitator, educator, designer, writer, entrepreneur, and campaign strategist. Her grooming business, Prairie Tails Spa, isn’t just a pet spa; it’s a funding arm, an outreach hub, and a living example of what humane care looks like in everyday life. Deeply practical and endlessly resourceful, she turns every partnership, donation, and story into something that furthers her cause.

🌾 The Community Builder

She has an extraordinary sense of community, forging partnerships with local schools, ranches, small businesses, and families to transform everyday interactions into collaborative conservation. Samantha involves students, volunteers, and donors in ways that make them feel like heroes. Her educational posts and updates are more than communications — they are stories that teach, inspire, and invite others to care.

✍️ The Storyteller and Creator

Creatively, Samantha is boundless. Whether writing her fantasy novel (Riders of the Realm: First Rider), crafting educational content, or developing campaign materials, her storytelling centers on compassion, connection, and quiet strength. She has a distinctive tone — heartfelt, witty, grounded, and always educational — and takes pride in ensuring that every word and image she shares is authentically hers, right down to the color palette and typography.

🦋 The Visionary

Her long-term vision is clear: a purpose-built wildlife campus that sets a new standard for rehabilitation and public engagement — combining science, sanctuary, and story. Samantha thinks in phases, milestones, and ecosystems, balancing heart and logistics with remarkable clarity. She doesn’t just want to run a rescue; she’s building a movement.