There I was riding a roller coaster I did not remember buying a ticket for. I was told my daughter had Cerebral Palsy, Cortical Visual Impairment, and Epilepsy, and told to strap in and hold on. "Get me off this ride!" I shouted. As I came down the first hill, I lost not only my stomach, but my dreams for my daughter’s future. I closed my eyes in shock as the ride whipped me about. When I got the courage to open my eyes, I realized that there was someone in the seat next to me – another parent of a child with Cerebral Palsy. She said, "Hold my hand and I will help you get through this ride."

With my parent partner’s support, I had hope for my daughter’s future. For parents of a child with a disability, hope is indispensable to action, and action is indispensable to quality of life. Nancy DiVenere is a catalyst of hope for thousands of families through Parent to Parent USA.

Nancy’s son Brett was born in 1976 following a complicated delivery. Almost immediately Nancy noted something was wrong and at six months, Brett was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy. From the moment of diagnosis Nancy desperately wanted to talk to another parent whose child had the same diagnosis – she could find no one who was "walking the same path.&quot.

Her response was to make it easier for other parents coming along behind her. In 1985 Nancy joined an effort in her community to design a peer support program – what emerged from her efforts was Parent to Parent of Vermont, a nationally recognized family support organization with over 200 volunteer Support Parents – parents experienced in parenting a child with disabilities, prepared and on call to be "matched" with another parent, a partnership with the University of Vermont College of Medicine matching medical students with families to learn first hand about chronic illness and disability, an early intervention program and several other programs focused on the health and well-being of children and families.

Nancy directed Parent to Parent of Vermont until 2004. That same year she helped found Parent to Parent USA and at age 60 became its president – a volunteer position.

Nancy, like many other parents, was challenged by attitudes, beliefs, and inaccessibility. Although laws required equal education, teachers were not prepared to include all children, homes and communities limited participation and the sense of belonging. Families experienced a dearth of information, meaningful support, financial assistance – and hope. Nancy was among the few visionaries who knew how to secure information to foster hope and enhance quality of life. What’s more, she knew how to convince professionals to pursue the vision.

Today, Nancy is central to building a national network of Parent to Parent programs. Under her guidance, Parent to Parent USA is helping emerging and experienced Parent to Parent programs across the county to implement evidenced-based Parent to Parent support services.