News
Featured Image
Magnolia Earl is Gerber’s first adopted baby chosen to represent the companyGerber / Instagram

ROSS, California, June 2, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Gerber chose an adorable baby who was adopted as the ‘Spokesbaby’ for their 2020 campaign.

On May 8th, out of over 327,000 entries, Gerber announced Magnolia Earl, from Ross, California, as the winner of their annual baby contest. One-year old Magnolia won the hearts of the judges with her “joyful expression, playful smile and warm, engaging gaze.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by The Vernā Myers Company (@tvmcu) on

She is the third of a string of diverse babies chosen to represent Gerber. In 2018, Gerber chose Lucas Warren, the first down-syndrome Gerber baby and, in 2019, Kairi Yang was chosen as the first Gerber baby of Hmong descent

Magnolia and her family received a $25,000 cash prize, $1,000 worth of Gerber children's clothing, $1,000 from Walmart and phones with a year of service from Verizon. While she will not replace the original Gerber Baby on the baby food jars, Magnolia will be featured in future Gerber advertisements for the next year.

Magnolia’s adoptive parents show that love is the key ingredient to being a family, a love that transcends race and color. Her parents, Courtney and Russell Earl, adopted Magnolia and made her part of their family along with their two daughters, Whitney (12) and Charlotte (8), who is also adopted. Courtney said that Magnolia being chosen as Gerber’s ‘Spokesbaby’ is “a great reminder that anything is possible.”

“It is fun to see the level of joy that she is bringing to so many people during this very difficult time,” Courtney continued. “She brings us such incredible happiness, and we are so very grateful. It has been amazing to hear from so many people near and far.”

The Earl family’s joy is reflected in Magnolia’s engaging smile and sparkling eyes.

Courtney Earl described Magnolia’s adoptive process, “On May 9th, 2019, we received a call from the Adoption Agency that there was an expectant mom that was in labor and wanted to talk to us! We pulled off the highway, got a chance to connect with her amazing birth parents, and a few hours later, this sweet baby girl was born.”

“Adoption is such a special part of the way our family was created,” she continued.

In the midst of skyrocketing rates of abortion in the African American community, Magnolia’s story is one of hope, showing that almost anything can happen in a situation of adoption. In the U.S., nearly 36% of all abortions are performed on African American babies, although African Americans make up only 12.8% of the population.

“We look forward to the day when adoption and the incredible selflessness and bravery of birth parents is truly celebrated,” Courtney said.

“The real hero(es) in this story are Magnolia's birth parents,” Courtney said in an interview with “Today.” 

“They chose (to give) her life, and they sent her on this incredible journey.”

Courtney reached out to Magnolia’s birth parents, telling them about Magnolia being a Gerber finalist.

“If you could hear the joy in their voice(s) of how proud they are of this little girl,” Courtney recounted. “Together with them and our community and our family, we all this love this baby girl so much.”

“At a time when we are yearning for connection and unity,” Bill Partyka, the president and CEO of Gerber, said. “Magnolia and her family remind us of the many things that bring us together: our desire to love and be loved, our need to find belonging, and our recognition that family goes way beyond biology.”