Virtual Reality
Thanks to the generosity of our Presenting Sponsor, Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes, we shifted from an in-person group baby shower to a virtual celebration to remember. With their help and support from The PGA TOUR Wives Association, RBC Heritage, and Birdies for the Brave, we expressed our love and gratitude for 23 military moms-to-be! For this event, families were from Hilton Head, South Carolina, and surrounding communities.
While COVID-19 kept us from gathering together in-person, moms still received our signature “Shower in a Box.” Among other newborn essentials, each box contained a soft plush animal from Douglas Cuddle Toys, bath spout covers from 4moms, and Basq NYC skincare – an OS Mom Fave! Infinity Marketing also sent a case of diapers to each mom-to-be! Then, the day came when the boxes started to arrive! That’s when we began hearing from our military mamas:
“Due to the virus my baby shower had to be canceled so I really appreciate the support your organization has given me. The gifts really put a smile on my face and still made me feel thought of. My first son will be here any day now and I definitely feel prepared. Please keep doing what you do!” – Deja
“I just wanted to reach out to the Operation Shower team and express my gratitude! This morning I received an unexpected big package full of so many wonderful things!!! I can’t thank you, and everyone that put these things together for the moms, enough! Makes it even more exciting to bring our baby into the world considering the chaos that’s going on now. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!! My family thanks you!” – Marilyn
“I just got my box and oh my gosh it is so awesome!! I literally cried! Thank you so much.” – Kayla
Virtual Surprises
After receiving their gifts, it was time to meet the moms during the virtual shower! What fun it was to spend a little time with these moms, and thank them for their service! And, because it’s not an Operation Shower event without a few exciting surprises, we teamed-up with Peg Perego to send Peg Perego Siesta Highchairs to every mom! Local Photographer, Nadia Hurtt gave each mom a newborn or maternity photo session. And, as if that wasn’t enough! The Fuhler Foundation generously gave a Chicco Walkie Talkie Walker to each baby! Words cannot express the joy we saw on their faces with the announcement of these gifts!
During the virtual shower, moms heard from Russ Spicer, Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes Founder. “The men and women of our U.S. Armed Forces sacrifice so much to ensure the safety and freedom of all Americans, and we owe them and their families an enormous debt of gratitude,” said Lowcountry Russ Spicer. “We truly admire the courage and strength of military moms experiencing pregnancy during deployment, and we are delighted to help provide an opportunity for them to celebrate and share camaraderie with other moms in the same situation during this special shower.”
Tournament Director for the RBC Heritage, Steve Wilmot, PGA TOUR Wives, Player Relations, and Special Programs Manager, Dan De Martini, along with several of our friends from Birdies for the Brave were also a part of the call. Before saying “goodbye,” moms got to hear an encouraging message from Melissa Joan Hart.
With Grateful Hearts
While we know that a virtual shower cannot replace a baby shower in person, we also realize that this special event helped to bring a lot of much-needed joy to these deserving families. We’re beyond grateful to our sponsors, donors, and friends for helping make this event possible despite all that was happening in the world.
To hear more about the impact that this shower had on one of our military families, click here. Special thanks to Small Moments for designing the lovely graphics for our event!
