DALTON, Ga. (WSVN) — Each year, Gerber chooses a “spokesbaby” in a nationwide contest. This year marks the first time a baby with Down syndrome has won.
One-year-old Lucas Warren was chosen out of over 140,000 photo entries, and CEO and President Bill Partyka said it was his smile and happy disposition that made him their winner.
“Lucas’ winning smile and joyful expression won our hearts this year, and we are all thrilled to name him our 2018 Spokesbaby,” said Bill Partyka, Gerber’s president and CEO. “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.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Be5djURhrDV/?hl=en&taken-by=gerber
The little boy’s mom Cortney told TODAY that Lucas is definitely a happy baby.
“He’s very outgoing and never meets a stranger,” she said. “He loves to play, loves to laugh and loves to make other people laugh.”
Lucas’s parents said they entered the contest on a whim, but hope to use the opportunity to educate the public about special needs children.
“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.”
As the grand prize winner, Lucas and his family will receive $50,000, which his parents say will be set aside for his education, Fox 5 reports.
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