Patti’s long résumé includes her work as historian for the West Hempstead Chamber of Commerce since 2006; her founding of the Long Island Breakfast Club, a local advocacy group that provides counseling and resume-writing services for emerging professionals; and her current job as an Avon representative. She was most recently named West Hempstead’s Small Businessperson of the Year by the Nassau Council Chambers of Commerce.

“She’s not going to let MS rule her life — she’s ruling MS,” Norton said. “She has conquered it in the sense that she doesn’t let it get her down.”

In an effort to support other disabled people, Locurcio serves as director of communications for the nonprofit organization Home Free Home, a group of architects who volunteer to design and build accessible homes for senior citizens and people with disabilities across the nation.

“[Patti] is an amazing source of energy and enthusiasm,” said Laura Montllor, a licensed architect and the executive director of the organization, whose headquarters are in Port Washington. “She always gives us new insights, especially because she is living with some mobility limitations, and she represents the organization to other larger organizations really well.”

Montllor added that Locurcio is a “powerhouse” when it comes to speaking out for others who suffer from her condition, writing grants to fund architectural projects and publicizing Home Free Home’s mission in local media. “The way [Patti] is so honest and matter-of-fact about her own life and living with a disability — she’s just an exceptional person,” Montllor said.

Asked what she has learned in two decades of service, Locurcio quoted the late American philosopher and educator Nicholas Murray Butler: “Optimism is essential to achievement, and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress.”

“I don’t think it’s really that difficult,” Locurcio added. “It’s just my nature to be an involved person because I like people, and I think people like me.”