The Woman Behind Georgia's First Baby Box
What began as a conversation with her daughter became a three-year mission to give Georgia's most vulnerable newborns another chance.
Amie Anderson (left) and her daughter, Kerri, whose conversation about a surrendered newborn became the catalyst for a mission that would help change Georgia law.
STOCKBRIDGE - When Henry County pharmacist Amie Anderson answered her daughter's phone call in 2023, she had no idea it would change the course of her life.
Her daughter, Kerri, a pediatric nurse, had just cared for a newborn who a young mother had safely surrendered. Amie's first reaction was anger.
"I couldn't understand how a mother could surrender her baby," she recalled.
Then Kerri gently challenged her to see something she hadn't considered. What if that mother, despite her own struggles, had made the most selfless decision she could by giving her baby a chance at life? That conversation changed everything.
"It just got in my brain," Amie said. "It wouldn't go away."
She began researching Georgia's Safe Haven law and discovered other states offered anonymous Safe Haven Baby Boxes. Although she had never lobbied a legislator before, Amie spent the next three years learning the process, building support and refusing to give up until Georgia approved legislation allowing the boxes.
Watching her mother's determination gave Kerri a new appreciation for the woman she had always known.
"She is the most passionate, selfless and fearless woman I've ever met," Kerri said. "Once she starts, that woman does not stop."
When asked what she thought her legacy would be before any of this, Amie never mentioned changing laws or making history.
"I hoped people would remember me as a good person," she said. "A wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend... someone who showed people she loved them, someone everyone could depend on, someone who did her best to honor God and lived her life to the fullest."
On Aug. 28, that legacy will take on another chapter when family, friends and community leaders gather at the Ellenwood Fire Station for the blessing and dedication of Georgia's first Safe Haven Baby Box.
Amie hopes it is rarely, if ever, needed. But if it helps save even one life, it will become part of the legacy she never set out to build. One rooted in compassion, faith and a simple desire to love others well.
Baby Box Dedication
When: Friday, Aug. 28, 9:30 a.m.
Where: Henry County Fire Station 8, 2180 Fairview Road, Ellenwood
What: A public blessing and dedication of Georgia's first Safe Haven Baby Box, marking the state's first installation following the passage of House Bill 350. Community members are welcome to attend.