Gerber baby food down syndrome
2018 Gerber baby is first Gerber baby with Down syndrome
Babies
For the first time since the contest's start in the 1920's, Gerber has chosen a child with Down syndrome as this year's Gerber baby.
/ Source: TODAY Contributor
The 2018 Gerber baby is Lucas Warren, a 1-year-old from Dalton, Georgia who is the first child with Down syndrome to be named a Gerber baby since the contest's start in 2010.
"He's very outgoing and never meets a stranger," Lucas's mom, Cortney, told TODAY Parents. "He loves to play, loves to laugh and loves to make other people laugh."
The winning photo of Lucas, submitted by his mom, Cortney Warren, to the Gerber Spokesbaby contest.Gerber/Cortney WarrenCortney Warren said she entered the Gerber contest on a whim, after a relative pointed out an ad seeking submissions. After posting a photo of Lucas on Instagram using the contest's hashtag, Cortney and her husband, Jason, received the news that their son had been chosen from more than 140,000 entries to be the 2018 Gerber Spokesbaby.
Bill Partyka, CEO and president of Gerber, says Lucas's smile and happy expression captured the hearts of the Gerber team.
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"Every year, we choose the baby who best exemplifies Gerber's longstanding heritage of recognizing that every baby is a Gerber baby," said Partyka. "This year, Lucas is the perfect fit."
"We're hoping this will impact everyone — that it will shed a little bit of light on the special needs community and help more individuals with special needs be accepted and not limited," dad Jason Warren said. "They have the potential to change the world, just like everybody else."
Lucas, 1, with his parents, Cortney and Jason Warren.Gerber/Cortney WarrenKatie Driscoll is founder and president of Changing the Face of Beauty, a non-profit organization committed to advocating for equal representation of people with disabilities in adverting and media.
Driscoll says brands like Gerber have the power to change the future of the disability community by valuing the minority as a consumer in their advertising.
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"We believe if brands represent children with a disability, they are communicating their value to our society," said Driscoll. "Moves like this move us closer to a more inclusive world."
"He may have Down syndrome," said Cortney Warren of her son, "but he's always Lucas first."Gerber/Cortney WarrenCortney says she hopes her son will be seen not only as a baby with Down syndrome, but also as a funny, energetic child who loves music and socializing.
"He may have Down syndrome, but he's always Lucas first," said Cortney. "He's got an awesome personality and he goes through the milestones of every child... we're hoping when he grows up and looks back on this, he'll be proud of himself and not ashamed of his disability."
This story was originally published in February 2018.
Terri Peters contributed.
Making History: First-Ever Gerber Baby with Down Syndrome
From Down Syndrome World 2018 Issue 2 of 4
In February 2018, a little boy with Down syndrome took the world by storm with his contagious smile, bright blue eyes and charming personality. His name is Lucas Warren, and he’s the first-ever Gerber Spokesbaby with Down syndrome.
The nearly century-old Gerber Products Company is an iconic brand that sells baby food and baby products. Often recognized by its trademark logo, a drawing of the first Gerber Baby, Ann Turner Cook, the company selects a new Gerber Spokesbaby each year. The 1-year-old from Dalton, Georgia, was chosen from 140,000 other contestants to be the Gerber Spokesbaby for the entire year. The Gerber brand personifies the healthy, happy, perfect baby. Choosing Lucas as the 2018 Gerber Spokesbaby challenges negative stereotypes about people with Down syndrome and makes an important statement about inclusion and diversity of those who are differently-abled.
Global was able to share the excitement of this historical moment during an exclusive interview with Lucas’ parents, Cortney and Jason Warren.
DOWN SYNDROME WORLD™: TELL US ABOUT THE MOMENT YOU LEARNED LUCAS WON THE GERBER CONTEST.
Cortney and Jason: Our first reaction was shock and doubt, followed by extreme excitement for Lucas! We weren’t able to tell our families and friends until after it was announced.
WHAT AN EXCITING TIME SINCE LUCAS WON! HE HAS MILLIONS OF FANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND EVEN INTERVIEWS ON THE TODAY SHOW. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE FAMOUS?
It is a proud moment for us as par ents knowing that Lucas has a platform to spread joy, not only to people he comes in contact with daily but to people all over the U .S. We are so happy that he will have this moment to look back on in the futur e and feel proud.
WHAT ARE LUCAS’ RESPONSIBILITIES AS THE 2018 GERBER SPOKESBABY?
Lucas will represent Gerber in advertisements, social media, and more throughout the year, representing joy and love.
In addition, he receives $50,000 for his Spokesbaby title, which we plan to use toward his education.
WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU ABOUT LUCAS?
What has surprised us the most about Lucas is Lucas himself. Being our first child, and having Down syndrome on top of that, everything is new to us. Seeing him pick up on milestones faster than what doctors and therapists say he should makes us feel so proud of him. He continues to show his doctors, therapists, friends, and family that there are no limits for him.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE HAVING LUCAS AS THE GERBER SPOKESBABY WILL DO FOR THE DOWN SYNDROME COMMUNITY AND SOCIETY IN GENERAL?
We hope this announcement will impact ever yone and shed light on the special needs community. We hope Lucas as the Gerber Spokesbaby will help educate more people that individuals with special needs should be accepted, not limited, and therefore have the potential to change the world.
Like this article? Join Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s Membership program today to receive 4 issues of the quarterly award-winning publication, plus access to 4 seasonal educational Webinar Series, and eligibility to apply for Global’s Employment and Educational Grants.
Register today at downsyndromeworld.org!
For the first time, a child with Down syndrome became the face of a baby food brand
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Baby food brand Gerber announced on its official Instagram that in 2018, for the first time, a child with Down syndrome will become the face of the company.
Lucas Warren, a young resident of the US state of Georgia, is one year old and lives with his parents. The young new face of Gerber will be constantly shooting for the brand. nine0003
Congratulations to our 2018 Gerber Spokesbaby Lucas! Welcome to the family Lucas, send him ?love! #AnythingForBaby
A post shared by @gerber on
Lucas's parents will receive $50,000 a year for their child's participation in Gerber. Lucas' mom Courtney says she hopes the company's choice of a child with Down syndrome will change how the public views people with special needs.
Beauty & Pin-Ups, a 32-year-old model with Down's Syndrome, is the face of the new line. nine0003
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A child with Down syndrome became the face of a baby food company
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Development
Diana Andrusenko
A popular baby food manufacturer has chosen a baby with Down syndrome as the face of the company.
Read on to find out more. nine0003
The baby food company Gerber selects its representative each year through an online competition. This year's face is Lucas Warren from Georgia (USA). Everyone would have remained indifferent to this event, if not for the peculiarity of the child - he has Down syndrome. Cosmopolitan reports.
The Warren family didn't even think of participating in the competition, but Lucas' godmother persuaded them to try - the child is really very cute. In total there were about 140 thousand applicants. nine0003
A unique case: the fetus was in the womb of a woman for more than 40 years
A child with Down's syndrome became the face of
for the first timeThe father decided to try his luck and published a photo of his son to participate in the competition. And it's incredible - the child beat all competitors, won, and the family received 50 thousand dollars from the company for this.
President Gerber wrote, “This boy's amazingly sweet smile won our hearts.
”
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For the first time in history: child representative Gerber
This is the first time such an event has occurred. Before that, this company had never been represented by a child with such a genetic disease. This incident has gone down in history.
Parents tried to cure their daughter's terminal illness with prayers
Lucas Warren with his parents
Parents and the public were very happy with this act of the company, because only in this way can people get used to the disease, support, help and - most importantly - accept that such people exist and they are full members of society. nine0003
Recall that earlier we wrote that the girl was teased at school because of an incomplete family, and her mother solved this problem in a very original way. The single mother decided to hire an actor to portray her daughter's father.
The actor has been portraying the girl's dad for 10 years, and she still has no idea that this is a fiction. You can read more about this at the link.
Read more about which babies are the largest in the world . One such baby can weigh as much as three normal ones. It is not clear how their mothers were able to endure such a load and give birth - some without surgery. You can view the selection of newborns at the link. nine0003
In addition, see a selection of child actors who, although they have grown up, have not changed a bit . Only acting skills have become even better.
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