When Heather Schwartz lost her husband, folks showed up to make the holidays special for her kids. Now, she does the same for thousands of other families! Here, she shares her story with Woman’s World.
“Family meeting!” Heather Schwartz called to her three children, Ices, 15, Brandon, 9, and Conner, 8. Days before Thanksgiving in 2016, Heather’s husband, Thomas, had passed away unexpectedly. There was no Thanksgiving for the family that year, and facing her first Christmas as a stay-at-home mom, Heather had to tell the kids there would be no gifts.
The kids gathered in their Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, home, but as Heather was about to speak, the doorbell rang. “Wait here,” she said, and opening the door, her eyes popped in surprise. Standing on her porch were more than 30 people — teachers from her kids’ schools, staff members and strangers — each holding gifts. “We wanted your kids to have Christmas,” said one teacher. “Where should we put everything?” asked another, and Heather opened the garage.
Quietly, the group carried in bicycles, an Xbox, games, gift cards and countless other presents. After Heather returned inside, the kids were in the living room. “What’s the family meeting about?” asked Ices. “I don’t remember. It must not have been important,” Heather hid a smile.
For Heather and her kids, it turned out to be a magical Christmas, despite their grief. Inspired by the kindness of others and the support she found in Facebook groups for widows, Heather started a cleaning business and studied to get her real estate license.
The next Christmas, she wanted to pay it forward. I know Christmas is the hardest time, she posted on Facebook. I want to sponsor a family this Christmas. Anyone care to join? A few other widows stepped forward, and that year, Heather and her new friends gave Christmases to four families — collecting wish lists and shipping gifts out. The next year, they did it again — only this time, there were a lot more sponsors. Heather has since created a Facebook group, Widows Helping Widows, where she posts a call for families facing Christmas without a husband or wife and for others willing to sponsor a family with gifts.
This year marks Widows Helping Widows’ 9th year of giving. More than 200 families across the country will have their Christmases brightened by givers like Amanda Bernabei, who lost her husband three years ago. “I had a strong support system that helped us through the holidays,” she says. “So I enjoy the opportunity to pass some of that love forward!” “I’ve walked in those shoes,” Heather says. “I’ll do anything I can to lessen the loneliness and share the true spirit of Christmas.”
