Twin sisters Brooke and Breanna Bennett were honored as “2024 CNN Heroes Young Wonders” at an internationally televised event on December 8.
Brooke and Breanna Bennett, co-founders of Women In Training, Inc., were honored as the “2024 CNN Heroes Young Wonders” during a virtual event on Dec. 8 that was broadcasted on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español and CNN Max.
CNN Heroes honors everyday people who are making extraordinary contributions to help improve the lives of others. Anderson Cooper and Laura Coates hosted the live event.
Notable guests joined the annual broadcast to introduce special packages honoring the 2024 CNN Heroes including Academy Award® nominee Bradley Cooper, Emmy® nominee Pedro Pascal, global media leader Oprah Winfrey, ballet dancer Misty Copeland, Emmy® nominee and star of NBC’s Brilliant Minds Zachary Quinto, Daytime Emmy® winner Kelly Ripa and award-winning actress and playwright Danai Gurira.
The second annual CNN Heroes Legacy Award continued the new tradition of honoring not-so-everyday people dedicated to a lifetime of service by recognizing Michael J. Fox with a special tribute and appearance. Since he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 29, Fox has brought hope to the nearly 6 million worldwide who have the disease. In 2000, he launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation to target and speed up research to eradicate the disease, which has funded $2 billion so far.
This year, CNN Heroes honored “two extraordinary young people making a difference in their communities. The 2024 CNN Heroes Young Wonders are: Brooke and Breanna Bennett,” CNN said in a news release on its website on Dec. 2.
One in four girls and young women living in the United States skip school or miss work because they cannot afford sanitary pads or tampons to stay healthy and clean during their period. To alleviate period poverty, Breanna and Brooke Bennett inspired and successfully advocated for the unanimous passage of Alabama State Rep. Rolanda Hollis’ HB 50 that allocates $400,000 annually to Title I schools to provide menstrual supplies for more than 56,000 menstruating girls statewide.
Women in Training, Inc. volunteers have distributed more than 32,500 WITKITS of menstrual, dental and hygiene supplies since its founding in 2019. WIT also provides educational information programs about menstruation for girls and publishes the brochure, “The WIT Guide to the Menstrual Cycle.”
“We are overjoyed and extremely grateful to CNN for awarding us this prestigious, international honor, and we hope that this global exposure will contribute to our cause of ending period poverty,” Brooke said. “No menstruator should miss school or work simply because she does not have the products she needs, and we intend to make sure that every girl and woman has what she needs to be healthy when that time of the month arrives.”
Breanna, her twin sister and co-honoree, agreed.
“We are extraordinarily pleased to receive this honor from CNN for our work with Women In Training, and we would like to use this opportunity to encourage young girls and women – no matter their age or circumstances – to make a difference in their communities, the same way that my sister Brooke and I are making a difference in our community,” Breanna said. “We are part of a community of young change agents who are making the world a better place.”
To support WIT’s menstrual equity work, please give generously at womenintraining.org.
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