The smiling little faces in front of the lights and cameras at an Atlanta photo shoot will get the chance to have their images be a part of a campaign with a great cause.
The children, who have Down syndrome, will be featured by the Comfees brand. The company partnered with the National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) for the photo shoot.
"Comfees is repackaging their product to include babies and small children with Down syndrome," said David Tolleson, the executive director of the Atlanta-based NDSC. "They make disposable underwear, diapers and the like, and they want to have more representation from the community."
In addition to being used on the packaging, Comfees will also use the pictures in their print and online ads.
The Hoge family got the chance to have their 3-month-old, Kyla, be a part of the photo shoot.
“It literally makes my heart so happy," Hope Hoge said.
Doctors told her when she was 12 weeks pregnant that her baby could possibly be born with the condition.
They also told her the baby had a hole in her heart. Fortunately, it healed on its own.
“She’s surprised us in a lot of ways and beat a lot of the odds that we kind of expected her to have," Kyla's father, Matthew Hoge, said.
The Hoges said they are glad to see that companies like Comfees understand the importance of inclusion.
“Now that I have my own child with Down syndrome, it’s huge for us to see the opportunities," Kyla's mom said. "People are embracing that she can do what other kids can do."
"Especially as a dad, you start to worry about opportunities that are available and things like that," Matthew said.
Tolleson said that message of inclusion can have a deep, lasting impact on families.
"It’s important for people to see images that look like them and for people who don’t have a family member with Down syndrome to remember that there are others in the community that have value and worth and are important to include," he added.
