211 LA County and Joey Travolta's Inclusion Films Produce Powerful "Baby Safe"PSA

Jan. 22, 2013 - PRLog -- .
211 LA County, the nation’s largest information and referral provider, knows better than most how the right partnership can change lives. For the statewide Safely Surrender Baby hotline, they did just that by hiring Joey Travolta’s Inclusion Films to produce Public Service Announcement (PSA)s. The PSA is available for viewing on Youtube: http://youtu.be/RXgk4a3th1s

Inclusion Films educates adults with developmental disabilities such as autism, Down’s Syndrome and cerebral palsy by taking them through the process of making a short film, from pre- to post-production. During the 20-week workshop, students work with professional production crews; writing scripts, building sets and using film and editing equipment, with the goal of future employment in the entertainment industry.

“This partnership with Inclusion Films is the perfect match. Not only is Inclusion Films producing our PSA campaign, their team is helping with our marketing and public relations efforts for our upcoming event,” said 211 LA County Executive Director, Maribel Marin. “It’s an excellent opportunity to highlight our shared commitment to innovation, collaboration and partnerships, and we hope it inspires others to do the same.”

Creating awareness about surrendering newborns is the focus of the public service announcement. It is designed to help a desperate mother think twice before abandoning her infant.  When someone dials the designated toll-free number (1-877-222-9723),
211 LA County is there to answer the call. 211 LA County supports the birth parent with compassion and guides her to designated sites to safely surrender the baby.  

The PSAs will appear leading up to national 211 LA County Day, which will be celebrated at a special event on February 11th at The Center at Cathedral Plaza, 555 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA. The event will highlight the good works of 211 LA County. For ticket information, visit: http://www.211la.org/events/

About 211 LA County:

211 LA County is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, formerly known as INFO LINE of Los Angeles. It is the largest information and referral (I&R) service in the nation and is recognized internationally for its leadership in the field. Since 1981, 211 LA County has provided free, confidential services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in more than 140 different languages. 211 LA County functions as a gateway to Los Angeles County’s vast and complex social service delivery system and serves as the public information source during disaster and other health emergencies. Professional community resource advisors help over half a million callers every year using a comprehensive community resource database containing information on over 49,000 programs and services. 211 LA County is an accredited member of the national Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) and 211 LA County’s referral database is maintained by AIRS certified resource writers. The database is continuously updated to ensure 211 LA County consistently provides the most current and accurate information possible.

About Inclusion Films:

In addition to his early years as a performer and actor, Joey Travolta worked as a special education teacher. Travolta founded Inclusion Films in 2006 after producing the highly acclaimed documentary, “NormalPeople Scare Me”, directed by an autistic teen. Through his unique professional experiences, this revolutionary film school trains adults with special needs such as autism, Down’s syndrome and cerebral palsy. A vocational program for basic film production skills, students attend the film school Monday through Friday and are involved in all facets and specialties. Headquartered in Burbank, California Inclusion Films hosts a second location in Bakersfield, California and summer programs throughout the country. For more information, visit their website: www.inclusionfilms.comor call 818-848-3708.