What began as a blog called TeenCP in 2009 has transformed into an expansive community of people with cerebral palsy (CP)— including our families, friends, allies and disabled peers. Led by adults with CP, Cerebral Palsy Strong is primed to serve our community unlike any other nonprofit organization.

In 2024, we incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to increase our capacity to build community and provide social support for people with CP who are in need of belonging and connection.

Cerebral palsy is primarily recognized by the healthcare system as a childhood disability — but we all inevitably age out of childhood and along with that goes pediatric care and other related resources for support. When we reach young adulthood, we’re often left to navigate life and this disability with very little support and understanding of what lies ahead. Whether it's managing our own healthcare, finding gainful employment, or sustaining a fulfilling social life in an inaccessible world, we’re often left with more questions than answers.

This is why we’re in the business of building spaces for belonging for people with CP because we’ve all been there — alone, misunderstood, feeling less than and at a loss for where to go when we need help. Disabled people have lived in a state of exclusion and isolation for so long, and we believe that having access to community is so humanly essential and important.

So we're working together to create a stronger presence in people's lives through in-person events, storytelling, and more — but we can’t do it alone. We need your support to launch our work into the future.

Our mission: To build a cerebral palsy community where we make connections and find a sense of belonging while navigating life with a disability.

a graphic that says, "the need: a connected community" with a stat below: 1 million people with CP in the US with an arrow pointing to text, "low social support, social isolation, few resources"

The fact is, there’s no cure for cerebral palsy, and more babies are born with CP everyday around the world. We know that there are existing nonprofits that are hard at work curating important healthcare resources and funding research to better treat CP throughout the lifespan. But there’s still a major gap to fill. This is where we come in.

Social support is urgently needed.

There’s strong evidence to support the fact that people with disabilities experience “loneliness, low social support and social isolation” and “report exposure to multiple forms of low social connectedness” at significantly higher rates compared to our non-disabled peers (source). There are 1 million people with CP in the US alone and over 17 million worldwide. But many of us have reached adulthood and have yet to meet others with CP in real life.

a quote: I feel like it would be a life-changing experience to meet other people with CP; it will show us we’re not alone and we have friends who understand the struggles. New friends and community sound wonderful! :)

Why now? Why us?

We are confident that we can help this global community thrive in spite of all of the obstacles that come with having a disability. Cerebral Palsy Strong found its footing by being a grassroots organization, led by and for adults with CP. We've sourced all of our knowledge from within and want to continue to generate information that will impact future generations. We aim to continue to serve our community by addressing our collective needs, even as those needs evolve with age and life stages.

Our organization is perfectly positioned to become the leading source of social support for this community. We’ve built a fast-growing online platform where connections are formed and hundreds of real-life stories are shared, but we know people are hungry for that to translate offline. We want to build something that does not exist — and we already have proof of concept.

Over 75 people attended our first two events and even more expressed their desire to join from around the world. Our flagship event, The CP Social, is the first-of-its-kind celebratory event that brings adults with cerebral palsy together to engage in conversation, build community, and feel a sense of belonging with one another. We offer focused Q&A panel discussions on topics that are surfaced by participants and allow time for new connections to take place that give way to lifelong friendships and important social bonds.

"our impact: a shared sense of belonging" with boxes below that say "200 stories shared, "40,000 uses of #cpstrong, 75 CP Social participants"

You can have a say in bringing this to life.

What we’re building is in its infancy stage and we need your help to get organized by expanding what we’re able to offer our community. We know we deserve more and have a clear vision for the future. It’s our goal to increase what we can do so that we can reach more people, more often, and make a direct impact in communities all over the world.

Will you help us dream BIG?

Within our first year, it's our goal to raise $10,000 — will you give what you can today? To be clear, these funds are critical to support us as we begin moving our mission forward and laying the foundation for all of our activities and exciting plans over the next 3-5 years:

Expand annual CP Social events (national/regional)
- serving adults with CP (2025)
- serving people with CP of all ages and our families/friends (2026-beyond)
Organize CP Social: Mini Meet-ups (hyper-localized events) (2025)
Employ dedicated staffing to promote growth
Develop a peer-to-peer mentorship network
Curate and coordinate educational community-driven content
Design branded #CPstrong merchandise & virtual storefront
Establish a west-coast-based Cerebral Palsy Strong center

Every dollar you give will set us up for success so that we can focus on what matters: creating a community where everyone with cerebral palsy feels seen, heard, connected, and supported no matter where they're at in life. We're committed to offering free participation —forever— to all events and programs in order to increase accessibility and reduce financial strain on getting involved with our community.

You can help make all of this possible by donating right now.

Not in a place to make a donation? No problem! You can still help us reach more people and spread the word — we would greatly appreciate your support by sharing this campaign link with your network.

Want to join us & become a fundraiser?

It's easy! Reach out to info@cerebralpalsystrong.org and we'll promptly send you a link to set up your own fundraising page so you can help us reach our goal and be a part of building spaces for belonging for and with people with cerebral palsy!

When you sign up, your page will show up under our team. You'll set your own fundraising goal, add your story, and start fundraising! We'll also provide you with a few resources so that you can feel confident when you reach out to your donors and smash your goal.🤩

Learn more

Thank you! We can't wait to see what we build together.

Let's Fund The Future of Cerebral Palsy Strong

Help us build spaces for belonging & create community.

Team Members