Congratulations are in order for the adorable California resident, Magnolia Earl as she is the first adopted Gerber baby to win the big prize. The great news was recently announced during a live broadcast on the Today Show. Magnolia’s parents, Courtney and Russell Earl, joined by Magnolia and her two older sisters, 12-year-old Whitney, and eight-year-old Charlotte, could not believe what they were hearing on the show.
“This is incredible,” Courtney Earl said when they found out the news. “It means that people see our families, or if you see a family that doesn’t necessarily match, that you don’t have to question the belonging of anybody in that family.”
Her husband added, “Mommy always says a family is built on love. We may look different, but we’re one family.”
Magnolia is the second daughter that the Earls adopted. They adopted Charlotte a year before they brought Magnolia home. And Magnolia has double the love to share as they are still in contact with her biological parents.
“We celebrate adoption in our family every single day,” Courtney said. “The real hero in this story are Magnolia’s birth parents. They chose her life, and they sent her on this incredible journey. If you could hear the joy in their voice of how proud they are of this little girl. Together with them and our community and our family, we all love this baby girl so much.”
Russell Earl added, “She brings so much joy and happiness to everybody.
Magnolia follows in the footsteps of the 2019 Gerber Baby, who was the first baby with Down Syndrome and the first of Hmong descent. The very first Gerber Baby was Ann Turner Cook, now 93-years-old. Cook remains a treasured presence for the company and has even met some of the recent winners in person.
“At Gerber, we have always recognized that every baby is a Gerber baby,” the company said in a statement to the Today Show. “In the 10 years we have hosted Photo Search, we have been proud to feature babies of diverse backgrounds. This year is no exception by featuring Magnolia, our fist adopted Gerber Spokesbaby.”
Magnolia will be featured on all of Gerber’s social media platforms and in their marketing campaigns for a year. She and her family won $25,000 and will be given $1,000 by Gerber Childrenswear, $1,000 from Walmart and phones with a year of unlimited free service from Verizon.
