Military moms and moms-to-be were treated to a very special baby shower today at Walter Reed Army Medical Center courtesy of the PGA TOUR and nonprofit partners March of Dimes and Operation Shower.
Moms and dads received gift boxes filled with baby supplies, clothing, toys, books and much more courtesy of Kmart, and other generous donors.
"Operation Shower is delighted to work with the March of Dimes," said Chief Shower Officer, LeAnn Morrissey. "We are grateful for the opportunity to support military families by hosting unique baby showers and bringing these moms together to provide a shared experience and provide them with much-needed health information."
During the baby shower, the March of Dimes and Operation Shower announced plans to continue to work together to support military families, with future dream baby showers and the continuation of Mission: Healthy Baby®, a program designed specifically for military families that provides free pregnancy and newborn health information and support services.
"Having a baby is a joyful experience, but it's also one that comes with anxiety and concerns. Being in the military - whether as a serviceperson or as the partner of a serviceperson - can cause extra stress," said Kathy Boggan, senior vice president of Volunteer Leadership & Development at the March of Dimes. "Our Mission: Healthy Baby program gives families the information they need to have a healthy pregnancy and offers comfort and support if something goes wrong."
Very high levels of chronic stress, such as the stress caused by a deployment, may contribute to premature birth or low birthweight in full-term babies, the March of Dimes says. Military moms and dads can request Mission: Healthy Baby materials by sending their name and address to [email protected]. Special brochures are also available by calling 914-997-4257.
"We are delighted to partner with the March of Dimes and Operation Shower for this special event," said David Pillsbury, President of PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties & EVP Championship Management. "This is a special thing to do for military families in circumstances where the spouse is either deployed or they are far away from immediate families."
The baby shower was hosted by CBS affiliate WUSA-TV entertainment and traffic anchor Angie Goff, who is a military child herself and pregnant with her first child.
"Kmart is honored to support the March of Dimes and Operation Shower," says Mark Snyder, vice president and chief marketing officer for Kmart. "In addition to our donation, we want to thank all of the new military moms for the sacrifices and contributions they and their families make to better our country each and every day. This donation is part of the Kmart for KidsSM program, which is our commitment to make it easy for all moms to take care of what they care about most."
Operation Shower is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that hosts joyous baby showers for military families to ease the burden of deployment. For more information or to learn about how you can get involved through the organization’s "Operation Give Thanks" campaign, please visit operationshower.org.
"Together, anything's possible" is the PGA TOUR’s charity platform that brings together all of the TOUR's stakeholders - players, tournaments and sponsors, volunteers, charities and fans - to tell the story of the tremendous impact that their collective efforts are having on communities throughout the world. The PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour have surpassed the $1.5 billion mark in overall charitable contributions. To learn more and to donate to these causes, visit the PGA TOUR's charity web site at pgatour.com/together.