LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 24, 2013) - Between June 24 and July 1, each product sold by Sevenly will provide a free Lettercase book to a family learning about a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. The campaign uses social media to spread awareness about these books that help expectant parents understand the challenges and rewards of raising a child with Down syndrome.
"As a parent of a son who has Down syndrome, I have a special passion for the importance of the work of Lettercase," said Sevenly co-founder Jim Van Eerden. "Sevenly is built around the manifesto that 'People Matter.' The Lettercase Program engaged all of us at Sevenly deeply, since it makes that case about people with Down syndrome in a balanced and beautiful way."
Affecting about 1 in 660 pregnancies, Down syndrome is the most common genetic diagnosis. With the increasing prevalence of prenatal testing, a growing number of families are receiving a diagnosis during pregnancy and need information and support right away. The Lettercase books were created to fill that need with input from the national medical and Down syndrome organizations and include balanced, accurate, and up-to-date information in English and Spanish.
Dr. Harold Kleinert, Executive Director of the Human Development Institute, says, "The question is: What will expectant parents be told about Down syndrome? They may be told that their child will have some degree of intellectual disability (true) and will be at higher risk for other health conditions (also true). But are they also told that studies show that Down syndrome brings families closer together and makes siblings more empathetic? Are they told that the life expectancy of people with Down syndrome has more than doubled in the last 30 years? Are they told that there is a national registry of families who want to adopt a child with Down syndrome? The composite of all these facts is what is meant by accurate and balanced information."
Lettercase Program Director and book author, Stephanie Meredith, says, "We're grateful to Sevenly for including us as a part of their social entrepreneurship movement. Our goal is to make sure that expectant parents nationwide receive the support and information they need. Expectant parents describe that moment of diagnosis as a flashbulb memory that they remember with perfect clarity throughout a lifetime. We want to make sure that moment is filled with compassion, support, and accurate information."
Sevenly is a for-profit company founded in June 2011 to raise capital and awareness for the world's greatest causes. Each week Sevenly partners with one qualified nonprofit to sell a shirt specifically designed for that week's campaign, with seven dollars from each shirt sale going to the charity. To learn more about Sevenly visit http://www.Sevenly.org.
Lettercase is administered by the National Center for Prenatal and Postnatal Down Syndrome Resources (www.downsyndromediagnosis.org) at the University of Kentucky's Human Development Institute (HDI), Kentucky's University Center for Excellence on Developmental Disabilities and an affiliate organization of the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD). To learn more about Lettercase visit http://www.lettercase.org.