Flint Water Crisis prompts ‘Flint Kids Are’ campaign

FLINT, MI – Flint kids are talented. Flint kids are dreamers. Flint kids are strong. Flint kids are healthy.

A new campaign is making sure Flint children—and the rest of the world—see their full potential. The “Flint Kids Are” communications campaign is specifically designed to help Flint’s youngest navigate through the many messages about the potential impact of the city’s water crisis and understand who and what “Flint Kids Are.”

“Our Flint kids amaze and inspire me every day,” said Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who first identified rising lead levels in Flint Children. “This campaign is critically important because it allows Flint kids to share with other Flint kids their incredible message of hope, strength and positivity.”

The campaign, which was funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, is a collaboration with the Greater Flint Health Coalition, Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, National Basketball Players Association, and the United Way of Genesee County.

Flint-based advertising firm Olmsted Associates coordinated production of the communications campaign, tapping the skills of local photographer and videographer Mike Naddeo, also a contributor to Flintside, to create it.

The campaign kicked off last month is prominent throughout the community on MTA buses, billboards in neighborhoods and on highways, in television commercials and at local movie theaters before kid friendly movies.

As the national spotlight turned to the Flint Water Crisis, many children were traumatized as they listened to experts talk about the potential effects of lead poisoning, said Jamie-Lee Venable, director of community impact for United Way of Genesee County.

The advertisements in this first phase feature children from Flint Community Schools Potter Elementary, Creative Expressions Dance Studio, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Flint, and the Flint School of Performing Arts Youth Symphony.

“Everywhere I’ve been people have been really receptive to it and are happy about it,” said Venable. “We are just trying to show people that the kids are okay. They still have a potential in life. It’s just a fun thing to get positive words out there for the kids.”

For more information or to get involved with “Flint Kids Are,” go to www.flintcares.org/flintkidsare or contact the United Way of Genesee County at 810-232-8121.

(Story Courtesy of Flintside.com)