2018 Gerber Baby Has Down Syndrome and an Adorable Smile
Since 2010, Gerber has run annual contests to choose an official baby to represent Gerber for the year. 2018’s winner of Gerber’s Spokesbaby contest, one year old Lucas Warren of Dalton, Georgia, is the first baby with Down Syndrome to win the contest.
Lucas’ photo entry was chosen from over 140,000 contest entries. Lucas is described as a “always having been a good baby” and “nobody can come into contact with Lucas and not smile” by his parents, and they plan to put the $50,000 prize toward his education.
The photo was submitted by Lucas’ mother in 2017 on Instagram. She says she picked this particular photo of Lucas wearing a tiny polka dot bowtie because everybody commented on and loved his smiling expression.
According to the president and CEO of Gerber, Bill Partyka, “Lucas’ winning smile and joyful expression won our hearts this year, and we are all thrilled to name him our 2018 Spokesbaby. Every year, we choose the baby who best exemplifies Gerber’s longstanding heritage of recognizing that every baby is a Gerber baby, and this year, Lucas is the perfect fit.”
As the winner of the contest, Lucas will be featured in Gerber’s social media channels throughout 2018. His parents have expressed hope that the images of their son as the 2018 Gerber baby will help raise awareness and acceptance of Down syndrome and other neurodiverse conditions. “We hope this opportunity sheds light on the special needs community and educates people that with acceptance and support, individuals with special needs have the potential to change the world — just like our Lucas.”
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This article used the following article as a source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/02/07/first-baby-down-syndrome-wins-gerber-baby-year/315089002/
Reuben Friedlander describes himself as “genius, attractive, and not particularly modest.” Reuben joined Different Brains in 2017. He enjoys video games, fantasy reading, hats, Dwarf Fortress, and writing silly humor. Reuben writes all kinds of articles for the website, while assisting with video editing and transcription.
