by Jessica Easthope
As quick as it is to turn a newspaper page, Matt Schiller is taken back in time.
The Tablet’s business manager from 1973 to 1993 can point to the place where it all started. A homegrown giving campaign was born 60 years ago with the hope that it would change lives.
“There’s a couple of charities that I really believe in,” Schiller said. “But bright Christmas is probably the biggest one. It’s because I know it’s in good hands.”
At a time when The Tablet was first digitizing its operation and mailing list, Bright Christmas had a humble beginning, but its reach was anything but.
“It was a huge difference for those families to have a little money to buy Christmas presents to do other things, or get a dinner basket or something,” Schiller said. “It was something that I personally saw the impact of, and it really resonated with our readers. People love the idea that they were doing something for people close to home.”
It has stayed close to home. Over the decades the fund has made Christmas Bright for thousands of children and families and agencies helping those less fortunate. Schiller said in the early days, Bright Christmas was evidence that generosity came from the heart not the wallet.
“They would do these Bright Christmas stories, and those generated all kinds of interest,” Schiller said. “People donated money, quilted blankets and they would donate clothes. They wanted to take care of the people in Brooklyn and Queens and it’s great that they were responding to The Tablet. They were reading those stories, and they were understanding, and they were moved to action.”
Now as tens of the thousands of newly arrived count on the church for help, the Bright Christmas campaign continues to evolve right along with the needs of the Diocese of Brooklyn.
“Bright Christmas as far as I know has never had a goal where they’ve said we’ve had to raise this much,” Schiller said. “The important thing is how many people are giving and is it coming in those $2 dollar and $10 donations, are more people responding because that’s how you know you’ve connected with people that’s a connection to me that is like unbreakable.”
But in an ever changing diocese in an ever changing city Schiller hopes the goal of Bright Christmas never changes.
Schiller has since moved away from his old stomping grounds, but still gets The Tablet and has been a Bright Christmas donor for 30 years.
Last year the campaign raised more than $120,000.
If you want to donate to Bright Christmas, just head to TheTablet.Org.