Rebekah Bennett

Rebekah Bennett

Rebekah hails, like many of our winners, as student from Long Beach State — but unlike any of our winners, she holds the 2012 crown of Mrs. Long Beach (and she also crowned fellow 40 Under 40 alum Jennifer Kumiyama in her 2012 Ms. Wheelchair California win).

Rebekah used to live in Turks and Caicos, where she owned a restaurant but her love of Long Beach — specifically Belmont Shore — lured her back to the States. Her work here has gotten her involved in the Community Action Team, MHA Village, Dancing for Our Stars, and other philanthropic and community-driven activities.

Her love and care for animals has made her both an employee and volunteer at the Seal Beach Animal Care Center, where she has been responsible for the welfare of dogs for seven years. “My passion and career in animal welfare drives my goal of promoting the value of a relationship between a person and a pet. I recently did some outreach work with the homeless community that led me to Homeless with Dogs. I have been collecting dog food for them and would like to help with ongoing projects.”

To top it all off, she is highly focused on educating women with regards to heart health, working with St. Mary’s Hospital on creating a “Love Your Heart Ladies Day” that addresses cardiac risk factors — a particularly important issue for Rebekah following the loss of her two children’s biological mother to a heart attack.