Behind the Scenes: Landon's Story (Barber Institute)

"Greg was invaluable in helping us sharpen our focus and hone our message to make the greatest impact with the brief time that you have for a video."

Nearly everyone has heard the statistic: one in 110 children is now diagnosed with autism. But, as alarming as this estimate is, it is just a number. What does it mean for a child and the family? Where can they find help, and more importantly, find hope?

The Barber National Institute has been a leader in the disabilities field for nearly 60 years. Within the past two decades, we have seen a growing demand for information and services relating to autism. We believed that a video would be the best way to help our audiences—including parents, professionals and the community—better understand the challenges that families experience and the hope and opportunity that they find at the Barber National Institute. Our video is anchored by Dr. Maureen Barber-Carey, our executive vice president and a recognized expert in the field of autism, and the mother of a child with autism. Marci Smith was willing to share the story of her son, Landon, and the strides that he has made with the support of the staff at the Barber National Institute.

We decided to launch our video campaign in April 2011 to coincide with Autism Awareness Month and all of the events and activities that we had planned for this national observance. We also have the video accessible on our website home page, our Youtube channel and we promoted it through the more than 800 fans we have on Facebook.

It would be hard not to be moved by “Landon’s Story” as Marci describes her son’s diagnosis, the behavioral and learning challenges they face daily, and the celebration that accompanies each success, no matter how small. It was important for viewers to have this emotional connection to Marci and her family’s story because the video is also an appeal for the philanthropic support that is essential to ensuring that quality services continue to be available to meet the ever increasing need.

When we began the project, we had the natural inclination to want to tell the entire story of our organization, complete with a litany of all of the services and programs that we offer from birth through the senior years. Greg was invaluable in helping us sharpen our focus and hone our message to make the greatest impact with the brief time that you have for a video. We are grateful to Greg for his insight and guidance and to the Nonprofit Partnership, whose support and encouragement made this project possible.

Mary Cuneo, Public Relations Manager, Barber National Institute, 100 Barber Place, Erie, PA. 16507 PHONE: 814-878-5960 FAX: 814-455-1132 EMAIL: MaryCuneo@BarberInstitute.org WEB: BarberInstitute.org