Lendlease and Operation Shower celebrate 40 military mothers during joint baby shower in Hawaii
- 31 May 2023
(Honolulu, Hawaii, May 31, 2023) – Lendlease, a global, integrated real estate group that owns and manages more than 10,000 homes for the U.S. military in Hawaii, partnered with Operation Shower, a nonprofit organization that hosts baby showers for military families to ease the stress of deployment, to celebrate 40 military mothers-to-be with a joint baby shower at the Ka Makani Community Center in Hickam Communities on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
All of the expectant moms who attended are active-duty service members or the spouses/partners of deployed members of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam; USCG Base Honolulu; Schofield Barracks; Fort Shafter; Wheeler Army Airfield; the U.S. Coast Guard; and Space Force – Wahiawa Annex.
In addition to a catered lunch, each of the honored moms-to-be received Operation Shower’s signature “Shower in a Box” – a gift of high-quality products for mothers and babies that were generously donated by companies including Lendlease, Busy Baby Mat, Carter’s, Skip Hop, Delivering Good, and Pediped.
Nathalie Cervera, a military mother-to-be living at Island Palm Communities, shared how grateful she was to celebrate her pregnancy with other moms who understand her experiences. Nathalie’s husband also serves in the military and is stationed across the country at Fort Polk in Louisiana, so she has experienced many parenthood firsts without her partner. The shower was a unique opportunity for her to connect with other expectant mothers like Natalie Aquirre. Following the shower Natalie exclaimed, “I want to thank Operation Shower and Lendlease for the amazing baby shower! It was beautiful and fun! I’m most grateful for all the items we received!"
Lendlease (US) Community Fund has donated more than $275,000 to Operation Shower throughout their 12-year partnership. Together, the organizations have hosted 11 baby showers and honored more than 350 military mothers and families. This shower was sponsored by the Lendlease (US) Community Fund, a nonprofit organization that supports community growth and development across Lendlease's privatized military housing and lodging portfolio by funding projects that address community challenges.
"Operation Shower does an exceptional job of honoring the many military mothers who live in Lendlease communities,” said Lendlease (US) Community Fund President Gretchen Turpen. “Military moms face a particularly unique set of challenges compared to the average mom-to-be. Lendlease is proud to partner with Operation Shower to celebrate the superpowers of military mothers, especially when they are far from their partners and families. We appreciate the ultimate sacrifice these families make for our country.”
“We truly appreciate Lendlease’s long-standing support and generosity,” said Operation Shower Founder and Chief Shower Officer LeAnn Morrissey. “For military moms who are expecting a baby and whose partners are deployed, and especially those who are active duty themselves, the impending arrival of a child can be both exciting and stressful. Whether they are serving on the front lines or doing everything at home that enables their loved ones to proudly serve our country, these remarkable women deserve our love, support, and an opportunity to celebrate this wonderful milestone together.”
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About Operation Shower®
Operation Shower is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating and honoring military families by providing joyful baby showers for military moms-to-be to ease the stress of deployment, or in cases where spouses are seriously injured. Since its inception in 2007, Operation Shower has showered more than 7,500 military moms from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard and Coast Guard.
About Lendlease (US) Community Fund
Lendlease (US) Community Fund is a nonprofit organization that focuses its efforts on supporting the military men and women who live in our homes and neighborhoods and the communities where Lendlease employees work and live. We support growth and development by funding projects that address community challenges in the areas of housing, education, health, economic development, and environmental sustainability and create or support programming that improves the quality of life for military families who sacrifice so much for us.
Media Contacts:
Operation Shower: Cindy Elliott, (562) 896-1177
Lendlease (US) Community Fund: Liam McCaffery, (908) 956-1664
Image Captions:
- Military mothers gathered outside the Ka Makani Community Center on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
- The Operation Shower and Lendlease team providing a lei greeting for attendees
- A military mother opening Operation Shower’s signature “Shower in a Box”
- A military mother and her son enjoying the shower
Click here to view images via Dropbox.