Gerber/Cortney Warren image
He’s adorable! He’s outgoing! He loves to laugh! He’s the new Gerber baby – Lucas Warren, a 1-year-old from Georgia who has Down syndrome. The announcement that Lucas won the Gerber photo search contest was made live this week on the Today show, where Lucas appeared with his parents, Jason and Cortney Warren. And all of us at NAPA Center are very excited about sharing the news.
Lucas was selected as the 2018 Gerber Spokesbaby from 140,000 photo entrants in the Gerber contest. He is the first baby with Down syndrome to win the contest since it was started in 2010. Throughout the year, Lucas will be featured in Gerber ads and social media posts. His family will also receive a $50,000 prize.
Bill Partyka, CEO and president of Gerber, was quoted by Today Parents saying: “Every year, we choose the baby who best exemplifies Gerber’s longstanding heritage of recognizing that every baby is a Gerber baby. This year, Lucas is the perfect fit.”
During the live television interview on Today, Lucas’ parents said they “are excited to see how the world reacts” to the news about Lucas. And in a video of the family at home featured on the television show, they also said they are hopeful that Lucas’ media exposure as the Gerber baby will positively affect the disability community.
Jason Warren, Lucas’ dad, told Today Parents: “We’re hoping this will impact everyone — that it will shed a little bit of light on the disability community and help more individuals with disabilities be accepted and not limited. They have the potential to change the world, just like everybody else.”
We invite you to read more and watch the video of Lucas and his parents on the Today show, and we hope you enjoy watching them as much as we did.
At NAPA Center, we take an individualized approach to therapy because we understand that each child is unique with very specific needs. We embrace these differences with an understanding that individualized programs work better. For this reason, no two intensives are alike. If your child needs our services, we will work closely with you to select the best therapies for them from our wide range of therapies, creating a customized intensive program specific to your child’s needs and your family’s goals. Let your child’s journey begin today by contacting us to learn more.
