Founders

Sarah Beth Perry & Grace Ann Perry

T. J.’s Friends Co-Founders

Sarah Beth Perry is a typical 15-year-old who loves to golf, sing and hang out with friends. She just started her first year of high school and is studying for her learner’s permit. She also happens to be the co-founder of a nonprofit organization that is raising tens of thousands of dollars for cancer research. Ambitious? Absolutely. But she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Growing up, Sarah Beth watched her mother volunteer at various charities, including the T. J. Martell Foundation, giving her time to improve the lives of others. The T. J. Martell Foundation, named after its founder’s son, funds innovative medical research to find cures and treatments for leukemia, cancer and AIDS. Sarah Beth wanted to find a way to help, too, but she was unsure that assisting with fancy galas and formal dinners was the best way for her to make a difference. She and her younger sister decided to start their own organization to support the T. J. Martell Foundation’s mission. With help from their family and friends, the Perry sisters created T. J.’s Friends, an organization for teens and youth who wanted to get involved in their community.

Grace Ann Perry, 13, is a triple-threat. She loves to sing, play basketball and pursue her artistic passions. She works side-by-side with her sister as co-founder, and together, they have learned how challenging and rewarding it can be to run a charity organization. Grace Ann dreams of being a cancer researcher or an engineer one day, but for now, she is content helping her peers with their fundraising efforts and recruiting new members for T. J.’s Friends.