Welcoming a new baby into the world can prove challenging for any family, but military and Veteran families face additional challenges that can quickly fill this moment with stress and worry. Thankfully, national nonprofit Soldiers’ Angels is here to help ease the pressure.
Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-led organization that has created a variety of virtual volunteer teams to address specific challenges and needs faced by wounded or deployed service members, military families, and Veterans of all eras. One of the many teams is called Baby Brigade.
No, it’s not an infantry of cute babies – but it is an army of volunteers ready to support expectant families of the military community with virtual baby showers.
How It Works
Eligible* families will need to register to receive support from Soldiers’ Angels and provide some paperwork that will help Soldiers’ Angels confirm you are who you say you are.
During the registration process, you will provide details about the baby’s due date, if it’s a boy or girl (or if it’s a surprise!), and even what the planned theme and color is for the nursery. Most importantly, you’ll include links to your existing registries or select from a list of needed items.
From there, you sit back, relax and enjoy your quiet time before the new baby arrives. Soldiers’ Angels volunteers will shop, pack, ship, and even hand-make items to help you welcome your new bundle of joy.
What to Expect
While there is no guarantee that Soldiers’ Angels will be able to provide all items requested, participating families will definitely be showered! Not only can families expect to check some boxes off their registries, they will also receive cards of support and congratulations from Soldiers’ Angels volunteers across the country and even around the world.
In addition, families will also receive a gift basket from Soldiers’ Angels.
Handmade Items
As mentioned above, Soldiers’ Angels leads several virtual volunteer teams. Another of those teams is the Soldiers’ Angels Sewing and Crafting Team. This unique team of talented volunteers provide handmade items to support many of the Soldiers’ Angels virtual teams, including Baby Brigade.
During the registration process, families will be asked if they would like to receive handmade items such as bibs, blankets, and booties. If so, the Soldiers’ Angels Sewing and Crafting Team will be deployed to provide unique items as requested.
Why You Should Join
Soldiers’ Angels has been supporting the military community since 2003. Originally established as a care package organization supporting deployed service members, the organization has since grown to provide services to support every phase of military life.
With the outpouring of support provided by everyday citizens through Soldiers’ Angels, you and your family will see that the bright light of American patriotism is still very much alive and well. But, don’t take our word for it – here’s what others had to say about the support they received from Soldiers’ Angels Baby Brigade:
“We got well over 30 cards welcoming little Elena into the world and thanking Bryce for his service. To some this wouldn’t mean much, but for me this meant the world. Some days without family here, feeling huge and exhausted, Bryce having duty or being gone… coming home to a card just made my day so much better. Thank you for all who have volunteered at Soldiers’ Angels and these beautiful cards for Elena!”
“The Soldiers’ Angels are coming in RIGHT ON TIME. Regardless of it is one bootie or several things off of our list, the support of having this as an option MEANS THE WORLD! I really feel like a Brigade of impassioned soldiers are in the trenches along with me during this journey. So again we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts and pray for limitless blessings for all involved!”
“Hello! I just wanted to send a big thank you to everyone at Soldiers’ Angels and for all of the sweet gifts that have been sent to our family for baby Lilah! She came a little after her due date on September 26th. It’s been such a treat to get random packages in the mail for her to celebrate her birth, we are very grateful for all the gifts and the handmade items.”
*To be eligible for this program, the expectant mother must be the spouse of a deployed service member or the spouse of a post-9/11 wounded, ill, or injured service member or Veteran, or an expectant post-9/11 wounded, ill, or injured Veteran. Expectant families can register at any time and will receive support within 90 days of their estimated due date and must not have already given birth.
The sharing of any non-VA information does not constitute an endorsement of products and services on part of VA.
Michelle Julazadeh Chavarin is the director of Marketing and Communications for Soldiers’ Angels.
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Dear Marcia, Your Grandson and his wife are not alone. There are resources for them to draw upon, provided they request it. This is a private moment and my concern is for their privacy as they grieve. So the resources I will share here are for them alone to select from and to use. . The couple must know the decision is theirs and that the resources are to help them.
I will begin with this. Your grandson and his wife should be first told and come to understand that they are family and not alone. They now have brothers and sisters in all Branch of Services. Second. In the absence of specific details regarding your grandson’s present camp/base. I will list general resources that are typically available (a). the Camps’/Naval Base’s Chaplain services. (b). Navy facility’s Master Chief and/or the Navy Chaplain’s yeoman are another resource. (c) Another resource that can point to other resources on and off base is the facilities’ Family Support Services Group. (d) Finally, Your grandson’s wife may wish to consult her doctor, who may be able to provide community resources. (e) If your grandson is a reservist and not near a Naval/Marine facility I have found the National Guard and Air Guard, which may be closer to their home to be valuable resources.
Note: if an Army Post or Air Force Base is nearer, then their resources will likely be similar to the Navy’s and Corps; i.e. Chaplin services and Family Support. They too are available to them. IF , as I say, if they chose to use these resources. Should they attend religious services off Camp/base than their religious leader may have other resources for them.
I am sorry for their loss and your pain. I will add you to my pray list.
Be well
Tim Frankel
Dear Marcia, I am so incredibly sorry about this loss– this is truly heartbreaking and I cannot imagine what your grandson and his wife are going through. Please, email us at Soldiers’ Angels and we will see what we can do to help your grandson and his wife through this difficult time: info@soldiersangels.org.
Also, during this time of grief for them, please sign them up to receive cards of support from the Soldiers’ Angels Cards Plus Team. Through this amazing initiative, Soldiers’ Angels volunteers from around the world will send them cards in the mail to help support them through this difficult time. Although a card may not seem like much in comparison to the grief they are feeling, it is a small way we can let them know that we are here for them and thinking of them. Sign them up to receive cards here: https://soldiersangels.formstack.com/forms/soldiers_angels_website_cards_plus_request
Michelle Julazadeh Chavarin
Director of Marketing and Communications, Soldiers’ Angels
Is there any organization that supports a current Marine and his wife when their baby did not make it when she was only 5 months into the pregnancy? Our Grandson is that Marine. They have little of our family near them in CA and only a few of her family.
I’m so very sorry about your family’s loss. My heart breaks for your son and his wife, and for you as well.