Champions for Change - Season 9

Like many people, CNN Anchor and Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash's inner circle has been touched by mental health struggles, inspiring her to be a long-time supporter of Woodley House. The organization provides supportive housing and services to District of Columbia residents with mental health disorders. Ann Chauvin is the Executive Director and under her leadership, Woodley House has successfully expanded and aims to double the number of people it serves by 2030. Motivated by an uncle who wrestled with schizophrenia, Chauvin's work is driven by a simple idea: all people with mental health issues should get the help they need to thrive and live with dignity.

Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in America, regardless of socioeconomic status. That is why CNN Anchor Abby Phillip decided to give birth to her daughter at home instead of inside a hospital. Myla Flores is on a mission to improve maternal care for marginalized communities. Her organization, The Birthing Place Foundation, provides free prenatal and postnatal care, trains BIPOC doulas and operates a mobile clinic in the Bronx, where maternal health outcomes are among the worst in the country. Next year, Flores hopes to open the Bronx's only birthing center, redefining what safe, equitable and empowered reproductive healthcare can look like while saving lives.

In 2007, CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper's report on famine in Niger changed the trajectory of Mark Moore's life. When he saw malnourished children were being saved by a therapeutic food that was only being manufactured by one company in France, he had an epiphany: why couldn't a similar product be made in the US to impact even more lives? Moore's company, MANA Nutrition, has been doing just that for 15 years. Based in rural Georgia, MANA has provided lifesaving aid to more than eight million children in 45 countries with the mission to eradicate malnutrition. 

Ritu Narayan is revolutionizing the largest mass transit system in the US: school busing. Her business Zum not only provides safe and reliable student transportation; it also benefits the environment, a cause near and dear to CNN Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir. Last year, the nation's first fully electric fleet of school buses rolled out in the Oakland, California school district. By using groundbreaking technology, Zum also equipped the buses to feed energy back to the grid while idle, reducing strain on power plants and potentially offering vital support during blackouts. Today, the company serves more than 4,000 schools across 14 states.

CNN Anchor Boris Sanchez and Adam San Miguel share a common bond: they are Cuban-Americans who take pride in their roots. San Miguel owns Cortaditos Coffee, a café and eatery in New Jersey that fuses social impact and Cuban culture. His business supports migrants through job opportunities and aims to create an environment where customers can connect. Hoping to inspire the next generation of Cuban-American leaders, San Miguel also started an organization that provides college scholarships, cultural education, and a leadership development program for students.  

Melissa Walker is on a mission to provide music education to all students regardless of skill level or economic status. Her JAZZ HOUSE KiDS organization empowers young people to develop life skills, foster creativity, cultivate community, and become global citizens through the power of jazz. For more than 20 years, nearly 60,000 students have been swinging to the beat of the program. CNN Anchor and Chief Legal Analyst Laura Coates knows firsthand how music education can benefit youth: she has seen her own children gain confidence and persistence, as well as sharpen their social and academic skills.

Kara Hartigan Whelan is pushing the boundaries of what it means to preserve the land. As President of the Westchester Land Trust, she not only protects farms and forests, but she also teaches kids to grow what they eat, links local farmers to families who need nutritious food options and improves access to clean water. Whelan's work hits home for CNN Anchor Erin Burnett, whose father spent decades protecting farmland in Maryland so it could feed future generations.

15 years ago, a priest read 25-year-old David Fajgenbaum his last rites, as his family said their goodbyes. The third-year medical student had Castleman disease, a rare and often fatal immune disorder. Experimental chemotherapy worked initially, but there was no approved treatment for the disease. Dr. Fajgenbaum took fate into his own hands and repurposed an existing drug to save his life. Now, more than 11 years in remission, he is using the same approach to save others through his biotech organization, Every Cure, highlighted by CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.