Grant Thornton names Women in Training as its new Purple Paladin

CHICAGO — Grant Thornton LLP, one of America’s largest audit, tax and advisory firms has named Women in Training to its Purple Paladin program, which helps emerging nonprofit organizations move from “start-up to unstoppable.” As part of the program, Grant Thornton provides funding, business advice and volunteer support, while also helping nonprofits raise awareness of their work and mission.

Founded in 2019 by 12-year-old twins from Alabama ― Brooke and Breanna Bennett —Women in Training is dedicated to ending “period poverty,” a struggle many low-income women and girls face while trying to afford menstrual products. Women in Training provides packed canvas bags full of menstrual products, and other hygiene supplies, called WITKITS, and offers menstrual education to young women and girls.

On average, one in five girls miss school because they don’t have access to feminine hygiene products, and when the Bennett sisters saw their mother, a teacher, provide menstrual products to students that couldn’t afford them, they were motivated to act and founded the organization.

“We founded Women in Training because we believe having a period shouldn’t stop you from living your life,” said Brooke Bennett. “Young women and girls deserve to feel comfortable and clean wherever they go ― and they should have equal access to the products they need.”

Women in Training distributes about 600 WITKITS monthly across Alabama, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, with plans to expand nationally and globally. The kits are delivered to public schools, after-care programs, homeless shelters, orphanages, foster care facilities and more.

“Young women should never have to miss out on opportunities because they lack resources for basic wellness,” said Rashada Whitehead, Grant Thornton’s national managing director of Culture, Immersion & Inclusion. “We’re so impressed by what Brooke and Breanna have accomplished addressing an important and often ignored issue, especially at such a young age. They are exactly the types of proactive and creative advocates we set out to support when we created our Purple Paladin program: everyday heroes who dare to dream – and to take action to make a difference.”

The Bennett sisters were instrumental in championing House Bill 50 in Alabama, which was signed into law in 2022 and mandates free period products be provided in public schools. They hope to help pass similar laws in other states and at the national level through the Menstrual Equity for All Act.

To learn more about Women in Training, visit womenintraining.org.

Women in Training joins 14 other nonprofits that Grant Thornton previously selected as Purple Paladins: Digs with Dignity, Fair Opportunity Project, Free Mom Hugs, WeaveTales, Warrior Reunion Foundation, Go Team Therapy Dogs, Find Your Anchor, Foster Nation, Hope in a Box, Weird Enough Productions, Invisible Hands Deliver, Pal Experiences, Sneakers for Soldiers and Coming Up Rosies.

• Digs with Dignity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps elevate the lives of those transitioning from homelessness by furnishing their houses to create a dignified home. To learn more, visit digswithdignity.org.
• Fair Opportunity Project is 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers high-quality college counseling resources at no cost to aspiring students. To learn more, visit fairopportunityproject.org.
• Free Mom Hugs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that creates allies who support the LGBTQIA+ community through visibility, education and conversation. To learn more, visit freemomhugs.org.
• WeaveTales is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps refugees of all kinds share their stories via books, exhibits, films and other channels. To learn more, visit weavetales.org.
• Warrior Reunion Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that reconnects combat veterans via life-changing reunion experiences. All events are provided at no cost to those who attend. To learn more, visit warriorreunionfoundation.org.
• Go Team Therapy Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces well-trained therapy dogs and places them at disaster sites, hospitals, and other places where they can offer comfort and care. To learn more, visit goteamdogs.org.
• Find Your Anchor is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on suicide prevention. To help people who are struggling to find hope, the organization creates and distributes boxes of curated items known as “anchors.” To learn more, visit findyouranchor.us.
• Foster Nation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps former foster youth overcome the challenges associated with ‘aging out’ of the foster-care system. To learn more, visit fosternation.org.
• Hope in a Box is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides educators with literature, detailed curriculums and coaching to improve classroom environments for LGBTQIA+ students. To learn more, visit hopeinabox.org.
• Weird Enough Productions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops free, interactive online content designed to combat media misrepresentations of minority communities. The organization is best known for its hallmark comic book series, “The UnCommons.” To learn more, visit weirdenough.com.
• Invisible Hands Deliver is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that taps more than 12,000 volunteers to deliver groceries, prescriptions, and other necessities to people vulnerable to COVID-19 and facing hunger insecurity — including the elderly, disabled and immunocompromised. To learn more, visit invisiblehandsdeliver.org.
• Pal Experiences is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps people with non-visible disabilities — such as autism — have more inclusive experiences at museums, entertainment venues, sporting events and more. To learn more, visit palexperiences.org.
• Sneakers for Soldiers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides properly-fitted athletic shoes to deployed combat troops in all branches of the military. To learn more, visit sneakersforsoldiers.org.
• Coming Up Rosies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides “smile kits” to hospitals so children — particularly those suffering from hair loss — can engage in therapeutic art activities to create custom head scarves, neck scarves and superhero capes based on their own unique designs. To learn more, visit cominguprosies.com.

Grant Thornton’s Purple Paladins program derives its name from the word paladin, a champion of a cause. Grant Thornton and its professionals have donated more than $1 million to Purple Paladin nonprofits, and more than 650 Grant Thornton professionals have volunteered their time and skills to support to the firm’s Purple Paladins.

To learn more about Purple Paladins, or to nominate a nonprofit for potential support, visit Grant Thornton’s website: www.grantthornton.com/PurplePaladins.