Defying Odds to Champion Disability Awareness and Inclusion

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Peri R. Finkelstein. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

When doctors told Peri R. Finkelstein she wouldn’t live past the age of 7, she quietly defied the odds. When they said she would never walk, she crossed the finish line of Miami Marathon. Again and again, Peri has heard what wasn’t possible—and answered with resilience, grit and determination.

Today, at just 25 years old, Peri, who was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, is the founder and CEO of the Team Peri Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to disability awareness, advocacy and inclusion. “I’ve always believed that when life doesn’t make room for you, you have to create your own space,” she said. “Founding the organization wasn’t just about starting a nonprofit—it was about reclaiming control over my story, transforming limitation into legacy and creating a platform that will continue to make an impact long after me.”

Her advocacy began as a family effort. For more than a decade, she and her family ran the Miami Marathon with Team Lifeline, raising over $1 million for Chai Lifeline, an organization supporting children with serious illnesses. That experience taught her how powerful storytelling and community could be. In 2023, after completing her bachelors and MBA in marketing at Adelphi University, Peri officially launched the Team Peri Foundation.

As CEO, Peri volunteers about 20 hours each month telling her story through speaking engagements and overseeing strategic planning, community outreach, fundraising and marketing. While her mother Lori, Team Peri’s COO, helps shoulder day-to-day operations, Peri herself runs every social media post, newsletter, “Step Out of Line” podcast episode, and fundraising campaign.

“I’m the voice behind it all,” she said. “The content and storytelling—that’s me.” Recently, she delivered a TEDx talk at Texas Woman’s University, a turning point for Peri where she spoke about transforming her medical challenges into the fire behind her advocacy and leadership.

“Unfortunately, society often underestimates people with disabilities,” Peri explained. “I’ve spent my career so far proving otherwise. I’m living proof that a disabled entrepreneur is still just that—an entrepreneur.”

Among the foundation’s most meaningful projects is the Julie Hait Adler Scholarship at Adelphi University. Julie, a beloved family friend, supported the Finkelsteins through years of hospital stays and Team Peri events. In April 2024, the foundation raised $25,000 in her honor, which the university matched to establish a $50,000 endowed scholarship for students in the Levermore Global Scholars program—Peri’s own alma mater. “[Creating the scholarship] was my way of paying it forward to the university that molded me, while honoring someone who shaped my life in ways I’ll never forget,” she said.

Barbara Quagliardi, a volunteer board consultant for the Team Peri Foundation and a longtime friend of Peri’s, said she’s proud to see Peri giving back to the same program that shaped her.

“She’s such a powerful person, and she always notices the things other people miss—whether it’s how to make a building more accessible or how to turn her own challenges into something meaningful,” Barbara said. “Every room she walks into, she makes people want to do better. That’s what makes this scholarship and everything she does with the foundation so impactful.”

In 2025, Peri launched The Peri Project, a pilot initiative that provides self-care kits and resources for Pediatric ICU caregivers. For Peri, who has spent countless nights in hospital rooms, this effort is especially close to her heart. “Patients like me are often the focus of attention, but it’s the caregivers behind the scenes who carry a heavy emotional and physical burden that most never witness,” she explained. “This project is my thank-you to them—especially to my parents. I wouldn’t have survived those endless hospital stays without them.”

Beyond that, the Team Peri Foundation partners with organizations that share its mission of inclusion, from Runway of Dreams, where Peri modeled adaptive fashion in their 2024 New York Fashion Week showcase—to The SD Project, Be Like Josh Foundation, Moments to Memories and Canine Companions.

While the numbers are more than impressive—over $1 million raised for Chai Lifeline, tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships endowed—Peri measures her success in moments of connection.

“The most rewarding part is witnessing connection happen in real time, when someone tells me that my story made them feel less alone, or when our partners share how our donation affected their community or patients,” Peri said. “It’s in the quiet moments: a message in my inbox, a conversation after a speaking engagement or someone asking a thoughtful question during the Q&A session.”

Peri hopes her story challenges assumptions. “I’m not some delicate flower or porcelain doll,” she said. “I’m not an inspiration just for existing. I’m funny, sarcastic, unapologetically me—and if you mess with me, you might end up in my memoir.”

She wants others to know that fulfillment comes from giving back, whether through donations, volunteering, or simply amplifying a cause. “We only get one life,” she said. “Show up. However you can. It matters more than you think.”

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Peri? Find local volunteer opportunities.