Lightning Foundation & Operation Shower celebrate military moms-to-be  

The morning started as any baby shower might begin—good food, games, moms, dads and kids celebrating new additions to the family.

Then you might have looked around, seen the sun flowing over downtown Tampa through the skyline windows of Amalie Arena and noticed something extra special.

The Lightning Foundation and Operation Shower teamed up to throw 20 military moms and moms-to-be a special baby shower on Tuesday, a celebration and thank you to active-duty military members and their partners.

Operation Shower is a nonprofit dedicated to honoring military families by providing baby showers for military moms-to-be. The goal is to ease the stress of starting a family during deployment. And since its inception in 2007, Operation Shower has celebrated more than 9,700 military moms from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard and first responders.

“For women who are expecting a baby and whose partners are deployed, and especially for expectant moms who are active duty themselves, 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 to provide these courageous women with love, support, and an opportunity to celebrate this wonderful milestone together.”

Tuesday’s luncheon was hosted by Emmy-winning ABC journalist Deiah Riley, who warmed guests up with bonding games and trivia around the table.

Then it was on to the gifts. So, so many gifts.

The first round brought on surprise jewelry for the whole group, followed by a Lightning toddler onesie, a teddy bear and tickets for each family. Raffle prizes came next, and finally, the grand finale. Every mom was presented with Operation Shower’s signature “Showers in a Box”—customized giftboxes of handmade blankets, dresses and more tailored specifically to each family.

The day concluded with a group photo and confetti toss with ThunderBug. And hopefully, a sentiment that will last a lifetime.

“I am so lucky not only to meet an amazing group of women, but to thank you,” said Pam Smerker of Operation Shower. “Our hope is that one day you get to tell your babies, ‘You won’t believe the shower they threw you.’”