It takes a village to raise a child.
Lawrence and Andrea Guy know that as well as anyone after welcoming their fourth child in June, but they realize not every woman is so fortunate to have the support system they have.
The New England Patriots defensive lineman and his wife are doing their part to be that support for single mothers in their community, hosting the third-annual Lawrence Guy Family Foundation Charity Baby Shower Bash at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday.
After seeing the impact they've made, they're doubling down, bringing a similar event to Miami later this season, where the idea was sparked in the first place.
"It came from a moment of love after we had our daughter," Andrea said Tuesday.
"We encountered a mom who was in an unfortunate situation and she had a really hard start to having her baby. It really set off a fire in my heart to do this for you guys because as a mother of four, I understand what it's like to have kids and how it takes a village."
Experiencing complications with their third child, Andrea briefly shared a Miami hospital room with a woman in a similar predicament. Separated by a curtain, Andrea overheard this woman plead with friends and family for help with her newborn intubated in the NICU.
No one else showed up for this stranger, so Andrea and Lawrence did, working with the hospital's social worker to help her. The woman asked for nothing but diapers, but the Guy family wanted to ensure this perfect stranger was set up with everything she'd need for her son's first year of life.
"We bought all those essentials for her and made sure she had everything she needed because we wanted to support her," Lawrence said.
"We didn't tell her who we were, but by helping that one new mom out, we realized there are people up here who don't have help."
Thus, the baby shower was born, and has seemingly gotten bigger and better every year.
Tuesday's event featured 50 underprivileged mothers-to-be from throughout the Boston community, aiming to alleviate their financial burden and shower them with gifts, pampering, lunch, and activities.
The Lawrence Guy Family Foundation, along with the Patriots Foundation and generous sponsors, was able to provide the group with more than $60,000 worth of products including baby clothes, diapers, strollers, car seats, cribs, and much more.
New this year was a pampering station, where women could get their hair and nails done in order to feel their best.
"Every woman should have a special day for the newborn they're welcoming," Lawrence said.
"We wanted to make sure that they had their baby shower like we had our baby shower. It's very important for us to do that. We wanted to share that. We've been three and we want to make sure that their moment was just as special and we're blessed to be able to help out with all the essentials they need."
Learn more about all the good the Lawrence Guy Family Foundation is doing here.
Patriots defensive lineman Lawrence Guy and his wife, Andrea, hosted their third-annual baby shower bash, presented by the Lawrence Guy Family Foundation, at Gillette Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. The event served underprivileged mothers to-be, who altogether received over $60,000 worth of products, including baby clothes, diapers, strollers, car seats, cribs and other essential items.
