FARGO — The Fargo VA and American Red Cross held their first annual in-person baby shower since the COVID-19 pandemic Monday, May 22.
The Center for Development and Community Engagement partnered with community organizations to help set up the event.
Veteran service organizations and community partners donated gifts and prizes to each participant at the shower.
While free lunch was served, five stations were set up for educational demonstrations from Sanford SAFE Kids surrounding safe sleep and car seat safety.
Fargo VA women veterans program manager Irene Johnson said that in the past women did not see the VA as a welcoming place to get services.
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"Our baby showers are a way to bring them into the facility and let them celebrate motherhood and let us celebrate motherhood too," Johnson said.
The baby showers expanded from being for only women veterans to all veterans becoming parents.
While the VA doesn't deliver babies, they are aware of who is expecting.
"We celebrate the new life and the opportunity for our service men and women, who've already given so much, that we give them something back," Johnson said.
Their goal is to make this a tradition every May.
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