As The Tablet’s Bright Christmas campaign breaks into full stride, I would like to tell you about two programs that will receive help from our drive.
The first is Boys Hope Girls Hope of New York that conducts two residences in Brooklyn for teens attending Catholic high schools.
LaSalle Hall for boys, who attend Bishop Loughlin M.H.S. in Fort Greene, is located in the former Christian Brothers’ residence on Clermont Ave. It is home to 40 young men. McAuley Hall in East Flatbush houses 50 young women who attend Cristo Rey Brooklyn H.S.
According to Malick Fall, the executive director of Boys Hope Girls Hope, “the kids are performing at a very high level academically and doing very well with all the new personal development and community service programming we have put in place. We are thrilled about our progress and are thankful to have supporters like The Tablet.”
This Christmas, the residences would like to purchase Christmas stockings for each of the students and to place toiletries and small gift cards inside them. The residence is also looking to purchase five laptop computers for students to share.
Loughlin and Cristo Rey are stellar Catholic schools in our diocese and we certainly are happy to be able to assist, with your help, them with their residence programs.
The second group we highlight this week is the religious education program at St. Michael-St. Malachy parish in East New York.
Sister Maria Madre de las Americas Flores, S.S.V.M., is the director of the program.
“Last year, the very generous donation from the bright Christmas Fund helped us to organize a Family Christmas Pageant, with delicious food, games, songs, awesome raffle prizes, and even Santa Claus bearing gifts,” says Sister Maria Madre.
“We heard so many comments from the participants like, ‘This is the largest turnout for families at a Christmas Pageant!’ and ‘Thank you for helping us put smiles on our faces.’”
Bright Christmas also allowed the parish to treat its catechists and volunteers with a Sunday brunch and raffle.
Sister Maria Madre goes on to explain that, “We couldn’t have the audacity to do what we did without you. Thank you must be given to all the Tablet readers and contributors.”
The year, the program is hoping to improve on its Pageant and is relying again on Bright Christmas to make it happen. The director assures us that the funds will be used to provide food, plus new materials for costumes, decorations and set pieces for the play.
These are just two of the many programs that will receive assistance from the Tablet’s Bright Christmas program. The requests continue to arrive and now the donations are beginning to show up in earnest, for which we are grateful.
To help us brighten Christmas for the poor and needy of the Diocese in Brooklyn and Queens, you can participate by sending us your donation.
Make the check out to DeSales Media Group with annotation to Bright Christmas and mail it to The Tablet at 1712 Tenth Ave., Brooklyn, NY, 11215.