Jason Benetti

Jason is an American sportscaster and has been the play-by-play announcer for the Chicago White Sox since 2016. He’s also acted as a broadcaster on ESPN, Fox Sports, Westwood One, and Time Warner covering football, baseball, lacrosse, hockey, and basketball. When Jason isn’t calling the shots, he’s sharing his real life experiences living with cerebral palsy in the CPF series, Awkward Moments which brings humor to daily life with disabilities.

Fifi and Mo

“A few months after Finley was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy I was in a dark place, feeling lost. I needed a safe place to share my heart. For 15 months I struggled silently as an overnight mama to a preemie and completely lost my identity. I was out of work and never left my house (because, germs). So, I started fifiandmo as a secret instagram account with the hopes of getting to connect with other Mamas - perhaps there was a world out there that could help me. Google sure wasn't of much help. Seems like every post I made amounted to something good. From putting a smile on my face, learning a new CP related Tip, or making a true connection with another mama and chatting for hours upon hours. I met several moms who were ahead of us in our CP Journey - that were so forthcoming with their knowledge. This changed my life. They changed my life.” - Christina Smallwood, Fifi’s Mom

Sarah Kim

Sarah Kim recently graduated from Columbia Graduate School with a focus on print and investigative reporting. She lives in downtown Brooklyn and launched her career as a journalist. She is a content writer for Cerebral Palsy Foundation and has been featured in Huff Post, Teen Vogue, The mighty and the Daily beast. Her most recent gig is freelancing for the inclusion and diversity section at Forbes. Read her article, “Why No One Talks About The High Unemployment Among Women with Disabilities.” When she’s not writing she’s living loudly with a Margherita in her hand, modeling on the beach, and showing the world what confidence looks like.

Zach Anner

If you don’t already know Zach Anner, you’re doing something wrong. He’s a comedian, writer on ABC’s Speechless, and author of New York Times Best Seller, If At Birth You Don’t Succeed. You can also catch him on Youtube in his hit series Workout Wednesdays where he crawls up a mountain and does naked push-ups. He spends most of the time in his underwear thinking about how he can change the world and he’s already done so in a massive way. He’s an ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and highlighted the pitfalls of inaccessibility in New York City in the viral video Quest For the Rainbow Bagel that’s been seen over 40 million times and discussed The Top Ten Things He Wished People Knew About CP.

Ellen Seidman

First came love for this writer and editor, then marriage, then three kids. Ellen's oldest son, Max, has cerebral palsy. She launched her blog, Love That Max, in 2008 to inspire other parents, to inform, and to raise awareness about abilities. Her award-winning work has been featured on The Huffington Post, CNN.com, Today.com, Mashable, and other websites. Ellen writes about everything under the sun including Max's progress (like seeing a movie alone), topical issues that affect people with disabilities (like Starbucks ditching plastic straws and Eminem dissing disability in a song), and the joys and challenges of parenting.

Micah Fowler

Micah Fowler starred on ABC's speechless where he plays an individual with cerebral palsy — and he actually has cerebral palsy IRL. When does that ever happen?! He brings his real life experiences and authenticity into the role and it's one of the best things to ever happen to disability representation. Catch him on the red carpet giving a thumbs up and rolling in the dough in Vegas — just kidding he can’t gamble yet, he’s only 20.

Steph the Hammer

Steph is the 1st CrossFit level 2 trainer with cerebral palsy. Yes, you heard that right - THE FIRST. She also opened Hammer Driven Fitness, one of the only fitness facilities in the world designed for every single body that walks inside. Steph shares her fitness journey with the world and is shifting the perception on what a trainer should look like. Steph is an icon for not only the adaptive fitness community, but simply the fitness community at large. Btw, she was also the first adaptive athlete to be sponsored by Nike.

Sam Mograbi

Sam is a professional body builder and a blue belt jiu jitsu. When Sams not crushing it at a body building competition he’s swimming, doing yoga, or painting. Watching Sam’s instagram always makes me feel like I’m not doing nearly enough - but in the most motivating way possible. Sam believes staying fit for life supports the mind and body wellness so he encourages everyone to work as hard as they possibly can.

Holly Palmer

Holly Palmer is a singer-songwriter that’s worked alongside music legends Bowie and Michael Bublé. In her most recent work, A Family Album she sings about her experience raising a child with CP — a major first in the music world. A Family Album was just featured in the Daily Mail Top 100 Albums OF ALL TIME. Holly also started a really important mini series on her instagram called #FamilyMusicMinute where she candidly talks about the intersectionality of her career and daily life while raising a child with CP. Holly said, “My hope is to share our journey with families that just received a diagnosis and let them know that although things look different, there is joy in unexpected places.”

Dylan Hronec

Dylan aka the The Surfing Samurai is an adaptive surfer with cerebral palsy and has been surfing for over 3 years. “It gives me freedom that I don’t really get anywhere else. I leave my wheelchair aside and forget about everything else when I’m in the water” said Dylan.

Cathryn Gray

Cathryn is a powerful advocate and role model as a young female Paralympic athlete who is excelling in school and leadership.  She is passionate to dispel myths about girls with cerebral palsy and wants to show what is possible for the future generation. She is a champion in adaptive track and field while still excelling in the classroom, tirelessly serving her school and community with more than 2000 service hours, advocating for others locally and nationally – and doing it all with positivity, dedication and integrity.  What really sets Cathryn apart, besides her remarkable attitude and achievements, is her passion for creating social impact by serving others - both now and in the future. 

Justin Gallegos

Justin Gallegos made history by becoming the very first professional athlete with cerebral palsy to sign a contract with Nike. He was connected with the Nike Sports Lab and together they worked to create a shoe that would help Gallegos with his running. A team of Nike innovators, including Geng Luo, brought Gallegos in to Nike to study his gait. They created a shoe for him, based on the research they did about his needs and his gait. For the half marathon, Gallegos wore what will be called the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35 FlyEase. He’s currently an undergrad at University of Oregon and in 2019 completed the Eugene Half Marathon. “I was once a kid in leg braces who could barely put on foot in front of the other! Now I have signed a contract with Nike Running! Trust the process!,” said Justin. 

Michael Kutcher

Michael was diagnosed with cerebral palsy before he entered kindergarten. He also had a life-saving heart transplant as a teenager as a result of heart failure brought on by a virus. It was this second close brush with death that opened Michael’s eyes to the fragility of life and inspired him to take control of the future he once thought he wouldn’t have. Michael graduated from Mount Mercy University with his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Finance .

Michael’s medical triumphs and perspective on cerebral palsy have led him to serve as an advocate and public speaker. When he’s not advocating for Cerebral Palsy awareness or inspiring audiences around the nation as an inspiring speaker, Michael resides in Denver, Colorado, where he’s built a successful career as an Assistant Vice President for Transamerica.  In his free time, Michael enjoys spending time with his family, traveling and playing golf.