Power of the Shower

Expectant mothers excitedly opened gifts during Operation Baby Shower at the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola

September 22, 2011

By PGA TOUR Staff

ATLANTA—This shower had nothing to do with water.

Forty expectant military wives from Fort Benning and Fort Gordon whose spouses are deployed had the opportunity to experience what many moms-to-be may take for granted: A baby shower.

The women were honored during a group baby shower hosted by Operation Shower in partnership with Birdies for the Brave and Carousel Designs on Sept. 21, during the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola at East Lake Golf Club.  The event took place in the Birdies for the Brave Patriots’ Outpost, a military hospitality chalet located on the 16th green at East Lake.

“We know that in the military, families serve too,” said David Pillsbury, president of PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties and executive vice president, Championship Management, who spoke during the Operation Shower event. “Military moms make innumerable sacrifices to keep the home fires burning while their loved ones are deployed, and they are true patriots in every sense of the word.  We are truly honored to have been a part of this very meaningful event.”

In addition to lunch provided compliments of Chick-fil-A, each of the moms received Operation Shower’s signature Shower In A Box—a gift of high-quality products for mothers and babies generously donated by local and national vendors and had the opportunity to win a variety of raffle prizes ranging from bedding and cribs to walkers.  Each mom-to-be also received a Radio Flyer red wagon, a Britax stroller, a baby bathtub and a Carousel Designs crib blanket, along with a surprise gift from Carousel Designs: $250 cash for each mom.

Beyond these tangible items, the most meaningful gift may have been the unique opportunity for the moms to find comfort and support from other women in the same situation as they celebrate this milestone.

“For military wives who are expecting a new baby and whose spouses are deployed, or in cases where spouses have been injured in service to our country, the impending arrival of a child can be both exciting and stressful,” said Operation Shower Founder and “Chief Shower Officer” LeAnn Morrissey. “Operation Shower was created specifically because typically military moms are the ones who hold it all together at home.  Without their spouses by their side, deployed to another part of the world or seriously injured, these moms deserve our support, our thanks, our love and an opportunity to celebrate together.”

Operation Shower is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating and honoring military families by providing baby showers for military wives to ease the burden of deployment, or in cases where spouses are seriously injured.   Since the organization’s inception in 2007, Operation Shower has honored more than 400 women on military bases and other locations for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and National Guard.