Early this spring, a Facebook post caught the attention of Carol Ann O’Connor ’15. The post requested donations for a Westchester County, New York, event called Operation Baby Shower, which supports expectant active-duty military families by providing essential baby items to ease the unique challenges of deployment.
O’Connor, who is office manager for the Kakos School of Arts and Sciences, knew that Manhattan University’s Lasallian Day of Service was approaching — and that the University has a Crochet Club. She put two and two together and asked if club members would support Operation Baby Shower. They gladly assented.
“When I was having my own kids, I always loved the sweaters and blankets that were handmade for me and my children,” O’Connor says. “My son Maurice is a U.S. Marine Veteran, and when when his active service was ending, he and his wife were about to have their first child, so I knew how much it would be appreciated.”
In addition to the Crochet Club, the Manhattan chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) also joined the effort. Over the course of several weeks, the Crochet Club crafted baby hats, booties and blankets, while ASME members made soft fleece-tie blankets. The items were collected and displayed in Smith Auditorium on the Lasallian Day of Service, held April 10.
Two weeks later, O’Connor delivered a large box of gifts to the baby shower, which was hosted at Westchester Community College by the Valhalla American Legion Auxiliary. She had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Auxiliary and the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services, all of whom expressed their appreciation for Manhattan University’s participation. Donation recipients were the Missouri-based nonprofit organization Operation Shower; the New Parent Support Program at Fort Drum, New York; the Attic, a nonprofit at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey; and the NYS Department of Veterans’ Services.
“There was so much excitement around the event, and people were coming in with wagons full of stuff,” O’Connor recalls. “It was wonderful to be a part of.”
She credits Michele Saracino, Ph.D., executive director of the James Patterson Honors Program and former associate dean of the Kakos School of Arts & Sciences, for supporting the effort and encouraging her initiative as part of the University’s commitment to community service. Saracino, in turn, has only praise for O’Connor’s role.
“Carol Ann was instrumental in making the Lasallian Day of Service a success,” she notes. “Through her contacts and efforts, we were able to live out Manhattan’s commitment to social justice and support our veteran communities and their families.”
Operation Baby Shower is now in its seventh year. For O’Connor, it was a fulfilling project on a number of levels.
“I didn’t even know baby showers like this existed,” she says. “But when I found out what it was about, I knew it was something we could do. And we’ll do it again next year.”