HeartShare and its Family of Services launched its #IAmHuman campaign, which seeks simultaneously to empower the children, adults and families in its care and to raise awareness of its comprehensive services.

The video asks program participants the thought-provoking question, “What does it mean to be human?” The video calls upon viewers to do the same, answering the question on social media followed by the hashtag #IAmHuman. This dialogue aims to connect program participants to other New Yorkers, who might consider those needing the agency’s services as inherently different.

“Some New Yorkers might think our work doesn’t apply to them. That couldn’t be farther from the truth,” said HeartShare President and CEO Bill Guarinello. “Today, 1 in 59 children nationally are diagnosed with autism every year. In NYC, more than half of all children are low-income and nearly 9,000 are in foster care. 1 in 5 suffer from a mental health disorder and over 60,000 people are homeless,” explained Guarinello.

The video, which is the first in a series this year, is complemented by a parallel print campaign. HeartShare was competitively nominated to work with pro-bono Pratt Design Corps in Fall 2016. This collaboration produced three foldable 11×17 #IAmHuman poster designs to be distributed at community events, career fairs and other informational forums.

If you are interested in supporting this campaign, such as sharing the video on social media or distributing posters in the community, please contact Jennifer.Reres@heartshare.org.