Baby Love
Operation Shower began in March 2007, when LeAnn Morrissey volunteered to send cards to women who were expecting babies while their spouses were deployed. She wanted to do more than send a note, so she sent them a “shower in a box” instead. The moms were thrilled. The support LeAnn received from local businesses and friends who donated goods, money and time to help impressed her, and she soon coordinated the first unit-wide baby shower at Ft. Bragg, N.C. in June 2007.
Operation Shower, 501(c)(3) organization, has held dozens of showers since, and to date has celebrated more than 1,600 women and their families. The non-profit hosts showers on military bases and other locations, such as PGA TOUR sites, across the country for families in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard. The showers provide new, much needed items for the babies and moms, and they also help bring women together to meet other families in the same situation.
Tori
I've had the pleasure of volunteering with Operation Shower for the past several years, and have been involved with their shower events in San Diego, CA.
It's hard enough to have your spouse deployed, but often because they live on military bases, these women don't have families nearby to lean on during deployment. It's so rewarding to help them welcome their new babies into the world, and the work Operation Shower is doing is powerful because it lets these new moms know that we appreciate them.
People can pledge money to help buy gifts go straight to these deserving moms. Operation Shower is a really great organization, and they have an amazing, but very small team, that is really dedicated to showering these moms with love.