Plot Synopsis

Each year since 2017, CNN has broadcast a one-hour special that showcases community champions in underserved communities who challenge the status quo one sector at a time, while revealing the personal inspirations propelling transformation and the steps these trailblazers took to create lasting change. This special is a culmination of a week-long event, with segments airing across the CNN media platform.

The inaugural CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE premiered on Saturday, June 17, 2017 at 9pm ET/6pm PT on CNN. Dr. Sanjay Gupta hosted the one-hour special, with CNN and HLN anchors out in the field spending time with the people and causes that are close to their hearts. The anchors travel across the country to share the moving stories of the leaders and volunteers behind these inspiring organizations, learn about the challenges they face, and see first-hand the real difference they are making in the lives of those they help. Featured organizations include: The Heroes Project; Friends of Karen; Farm-Aid; Meals on Wheels; DreamYard; Spike's K9 Fund; Partners in Health; Madison Square Boys & Girls Club; Runway to Hope; Blessings in a Backpack; Optimist Youth Home and Family Services; and Girls on the Run DC.

The second CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE debuted on Saturday, June 23, 2018 at 8pm ET/5pm PT on CNN, with Dr. Sanjay Gupta hosting the one-hour special. Anchors Brooke Baldwin, John Berman, Wolf Blitzer, Kate Bolduan, Erin Burnett, Ana Cabrera, Alisyn Camerota, Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, Fredricka Whitfield along with chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Bill Weir, take viewers around the world and into the hearts of these men and women and their extraordinary stories. The following organizations were highlighted: U.S. Space and Rocket Center Education Foundation; The West End House; Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation; Every Mother Counts; Safe Horizon; Candelighters NYC; Operation Smile; World Wide Orphans; Champions for Change at Feeding America; Urban Pathways; and equine therapy.

On Saturday, May 19, 2019 at 8pm ET/5pm PT, CNN premiered 2019 CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE, a one-hour special hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Anchors Brooke Baldwin, John Berman, Kate Bolduan, Erin Burnett, Alisyn Camerota, Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo, Dr. Sanjay Gupta Poppy Harlow, Don Lemon, Jim Sciutto, and Bill Weir, return to highlight the stories and people who continue to change their communities and the lives of others. Featured leaders include: Killer Mike, Young@Heart Chorus, Diane Latiker, Pastor JD Williams, David Hogg & Lauren Hogg, Sebastian Junger, Jeni Stepanek (Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation), Kevin Hines, Heather Abbott, Dr. Danielle Moss (Oliver Scholars), Hanif Qadir, and Dan Buettner.

The 2020 CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE debuted on Saturday, September 26, 2021 at 10pm ET/7pm PT on CNN. John Berman and Alisyn Camerota anchor this hour-long special that includes updates from Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Bill Weir of champions from previous years. The 10 individuals highlights include: Dr. Demetrio Aguila (M25 Program at Healing Hands of Nebraska); Kevin Barber (Wheels of Change); Judaline Cassidy (Tools and Tiaras); Carla Gautier Castro (KONTi Design Build Studio); Lual Mayen (Junub Games); Earl Moore and Doug Naselroad (Appalachian Artisan Center "Culture of Recovery"); Tony Weaver Jr. (Weird Enough Productions); Nona Yehia (Vertical Harvest); Boyan Slat (The Ocean Cleanup); and Meagan Williams (Pontilly Neighborhood Stormwater Network).

On Saturday, September 25, 2021 at 8pm ET/5pm PT, CNN premiered the 2021 CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE. Victor Blackwell and Alisyn Camerota host this hour-long special that explores the motivations and catalysts driving these 12 bold leaders: Derek and Becky Woods (Riverdale Children's Theatre); Shara Mondy (Suited 4 Success); Jenn Dianto Kemmerly (Monterey Bay Aquarium -- Seafood Watch); Lincoln Brown; Sharae Moore (S.H.E. Trucking); Silvia Hernandez (Comal Heritage Food Incubator); Sean Perry (We R H.O.P.E.); Alexander McLean (Justice Defenders); Joanne Peterson (Learn to Cope); and Lt. Gen. Gwen Bingham (Blue Star Families); Oliver Foote (Harlem Honeys and Bears).

The sixth CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE debuted on Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN. Dr. Sanjay Gupta hosts this hour-long television special showcasing all 12 community champions: Trey Carlisle and Todd Mack (The Black Legacy Project); Dion Dawkins; Ed and Mary Ternan (Song for Charlie); The Velychko Siblings; Jean Bell (Jeuness Track Club); Chief Foti Koskinas; Jimmy Hatch; Doris Taylor; Stephen Bright; Rashid Johnson; Pastor Mike McBride (LIVE FREE); and Adam Kisielewski (Homes For Our Troops).

CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE returned for its seventh installment on Saturday, September 23, 2023 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN. Dr. Sanjay Gupta hosts this hour-long special that showcases all 12 community champions: Julie Castle (Best Friends Animal Society); Zahra Joya (Rukhshana Media); Alex Acosta (Soul Food Cypher); Mel Ramsey; Sherman Williams (Palmer Williams Group); Sandy and Lonnie Phillips (Survivors Empowered); Laura Bray (Angels for Change); Harry Miller; Muriel Saenz; Sophia Chang (Unlock Her Potential); Shana Moses (Amazing Grace Chorus); Jesse Billauer (Life Rolls On).
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The 2024 CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE premiered on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT on CNN, hosted by CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Featuring reporting from Gupta, Laura Coates, Omar Jimenez, Sara Sidner, and Bill Weir, CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGE returns for its eighth year showcasing these inspiring changemakers:

Donae Burston (La Fete Wine Co.): The wine industry has long been dominated almost exclusively by White men. That may soon change thanks to the international efforts of an American businessman. Donae Burston is disrupting the beverage industry by breathing life into the Black wine culture. Burston's company, La Fete, partners with a non-profit and professional groups to raise Black involvement in the production, marketing and enjoyment of wine, fermenting a more diverse and fulfilling industry.

Bob Dalton (Sackcloth & Ashes): A businessman in Oregon is radiating warmth and dignity for homeless people. Bob Dalton's blanket company, Sackcloth & Ashes, partners with local retailers across the country. For every Sackcloth & Ashes blanket each shop sells, another gets donated to a homeless shelter in that same shop's community. The simple, but novel approach has provided a warm embrace for hundreds-of-thousands of people living on the streets.

Amy Denet Deal (4Kinship): A West coast fashion designer returned to her Navajo roots to found 4Kinship apparel. Amy Denet Deal started 4Kinship as an artisanal clothing label using repurposed material to reflect indigenous ethics and aesthetics. Now she uses her creativity and brand to invigorate her community, empowering fellow indigenous artists along the way.

John & Thomas D'Eri (Rising Tide Car Wash): Two Florida entrepreneurs, a father and son, saw an untapped workforce where others saw disability. John D'Eri's son -- and Thomas D'Eri's brother -- inspired the two men to found Rising Tide Car Wash, empowering people on the autism spectrum with gainful employment. With customized technology that accommodates neurodivergent people, the company leverages the strengths of its dedicated workers, many of whom go on to confidently work in other fields.

Dima Gazda (Esper Bionics): A physician and electronic engineer in New York is making revolutionary strides with bionic limbs. Dima Gazda is perfecting a self-learning artificial hand at Esper Bionics. The "Esper Hand" uses AI to detect a patient's muscle activity, recognize situations and execute motion. Gazda emigrated from Ukraine and is using the new technology to help Ukrainian veterans who lost limbs in combat.

Keith Hayes (5280 High School): As drug abuse among youth becomes increasingly deadly, a recovering addict in Denver is putting a new spin on conventional treatment to meet the growing threat. Keith Hayes directs the recovery program at 5280 High School, a special secondary school pioneering a peer-based method to tackle addiction. 5280 is one of the country's largest recovery-centered high schools and one of the few tuition-free programs of its kind.

Bethany Hornthal (Hair to Stay): Women frequently cite hair loss as the most distressing side effect of chemotherapy. Bethany Hornthal is the Executive Director of Hair To Stay, a non-profit that enables individuals to offset costs for expensive scalp cooling / cold capping treatment -- a technology that helps patients keep some of their hair. Hornthal was instrumental in obtaining funding for the first FDA-approved scalp cooling system.

Cliff Kapono (The MEGA Lab): A native Hawaiian pro surfer also happens to be a scientist trying to save the world's oceans. Cliff Kapono co-founded the Multiscale Environmental Graphic Analysis (MEGA) Lab to enlist an unconventional group of environmentalists empowered to gather information on coral reefs. From artists to skateboarders, The MEGA Lab hopes to utilize volunteers' unique talents -- no degrees necessary -- to better understand the forces at work beneath the waves.

Patty Mitchell (Passion Works Studio): In Ohio's Appalachian region, a local artist/social entrepreneur crafted a vibrant community. Patty Mitchell founded Passion Works Studio, where artists with and without developmental differences collaborate to create marketable works using otherwise discarded materials. The studio, which has generated more than $3 million in sales, fosters purpose, connection and belonging.

Dr. Johnna Nynas (Obstetrics & Gynecology): More than 46 million Americans, or 15 percent of the U.S. population, live in rural areas as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, regions where pregnant women struggle to access the care they need. Dr. Johnna Nynas is passionate about getting pregnancy care to women in rural towns like the one she grew up in, and is using innovative methods to provide vital access to medical care.

Cassandra Quave (Ethnobotanist): It's an alarming public health trend: harmful bacteria developing resistance to traditional antibiotics. For one ethnobotanist and professor in Atlanta, nature may hold the remedy. Cassandra Quave leads the hunt for modern medicines in ancient plants. Through her lab at Emory University, she takes a state-of-the-art approach to the study of medicinal plants, pursuing the next generation of antibiotics to fight infections like the one she suffered as a child.

Annette Rubin (Vero Building Systems): As climate change presents a growing and changing threat to homes across the country, a Florida entrepreneur is putting a well-known material to new use in home construction. Annette Rubin is pioneering Styrofoam to construct storm-durable and environmentally responsible homes in areas prone to hurricanes. Her designs promise lower production costs than traditional construction with a fraction of the usual carbon footprint.

Dr. Dondre Simpson (Dental): Dentistry is a neglected necessity across America's economically depressed areas. Since so many impoverished people do not go to the dentist's office, Dr. Dondre Simpson goes to them to serve as a healer, friend and role model. CNN's Laura Coates tells Dr. Simpson's story and its connection to her own upbringing by her father, a dentist committed to community service.

Franziska Trautmann (Glass Half Full): In New Orleans, where bottles abound but recycling programs don't, an engineer found a way to make pristine beach sand from glass that would otherwise end up in landfills. Franziska Trautmann founded Glass Half Full, a company converting waste glass into materials to fight coastal erosion. From fine sand to "glass gravel," Glass Half Full material is helping restore beaches, wetlands and levees across Louisiana and beyond.