Morris’ Joe Schmitz recalls a charitable life leading Operation St. Nick

MORRIS – Joe Schmitz was 7 years old when he saw his father standing in his kitchen dressed as Santa Claus, with his mom fixing his beard. And just like the child in the Norman Rockwell pictures – Schmitz “stood dumbfounded” by the scene.

“Shocked and disappointed, I asked my dad, ’are you Santa Claus?’” Schmitz said.

He was not. But it was at this moment that Theodore Joseph Schmitz passed on more than just his name to his son. He taught him the value of giving back. Theodore owned a tavern in Streator, called Ted’s Green Topper, and he along with the other tavern owners got together to ensure every child in Streator, “had enough food to enjoy on Christmas Day.”

Theodore invited Schmitz to come along to help hand out the food baskets that the tavern owners prepared.

“It was at this point it was all starting to sink in. My dad had been asked to be Santa’s helper in Streator, and he choose me to come with him,” Schmitz said.

Schmitz said he continued the tradition of helping his dad deliver food baskets for another couple of years until he sold his tavern in 1953. He remembers the moments fondly, recalling one mother’s “bravery and selflessness.”

“Her husband had left her and her six small children, and she told my dad she would take care of her family and give it to someone who really needed it. She was the hero of the day with my dad and his friends,” he said.

Twenty-five years later, in 1979, Schmitz and his wife Carol joined a prayer group at Immaculate Conception and told the story of his father. He said he always wanted to carry on the tradition, but never “acted on the urge.” The group pulled some money together and came up with $270.

In 2023, Schmitz has a board of directors and multiple programs under the Operation St. Nick umbrella, including military and back-to-school programs. Last year, he operated with a $245,000 budget – his largest, all to serve the underprivileged in Grundy County.

“He really believes in taking an interest in the community you live in,” said Missy Durkin, a long-time friend and Operation St. Nick board member. “He goes above and beyond to support everyone through the tough times. He has tremendous passion for what he does and it is awe-inspiring to think about all of the people he has helped.”

Schmitz wasn’t waiting on the sidelines for 25 years, he continued to assist the community throughout his work in banking.

Patti Fitch, who worked with him for more than 30 years and serves on Operation St. Nick said, “Joe always finds people who need help, even when we were working at the bank. He was always able to read people and find out what they really needed. He used his great instincts to help as many people as he could.”

His employees remember him as a “genuine and caring person” who instilled the values of God, family and work inside each employee.

“As my boss, he was very aware of everyone’s needs, their families, their stories. He did things outside the box. The way he talked to people, it made us feel like we could help. He assisted every person. If there was a way, he was going to find it and he expected his staff to do the same,” Kathy Lambros said.

“He will leave his footprint wherever he goes, you will never forget you met him,” she said.

Schmitz was able to make several connections throughout his career and personal life that lead him to create the Operation St. Nick of today.

In 1981, his neighbors and good friends, Paul and Diane Root, gifted him with $500 to “bless” one family with food and gifts for Christmas.

As treasurer for the Grundy County United Fund, he knew about We Care and Shirley Kiss and had begun assisting her in moving from her home into the Morris Post Office. He asked her to give him the name of a family that could use the assistance.

Schmitz and Carol purchased toys from the family’s gift list, spending $100 on each child for Santa gifts, and enough food to get them through the holiday season.

The next year, Schmitz received $1,800 in donations to help families for Christmas, and working with Kiss, they came up with 65 families who needed the most help. They would spend $50 on each child and the family would be provided a Christmas dinner.

What started out as food baskets inspired by his father was becoming a lot more, and Schmitz wanted it to be a more official annual event like We Care for Grundy County. He wanted to call it Operation Teddy, in honor of his father.

“Shirley felt using my dad’s name wouldn’t take on the same meaning in Morris and Grundy County that it would in Streator – she was right. So, she suggested Operation Teddy Bear,” he said.

Other names suggested included Operation Snowflake, Operation Santa, and Santa’s Helpers, among others, but nothing felt “right” to Schmitz.

He said he was still “stuck” on Operation Teddy Bear. However, after a suggestion from his wife and research at the Morris Library into the research on how Santa Claus or St. Nicholas received his name. He settled on Operation St. Nick.

“We wanted it to be known as a Christian organization. We wanted the feeling of Santa Claus, just as much as we wanted the Christian feeling of Christmas,” he said.

Today, Operation St. Nick has been expanded to include military personnel, which has a Christmas in July theme, and $50,000 was used to help active personnel or veterans. The Back to School program used $20,000 to give children $150 to spend on clothing and $50 for school supplies. And each Christmas season, about 150 children received $ 250 worth of gifts, and the families receive funds for food depending on their size. The last of the large programs included winter utilities, which helps families struggling with their winter utility bills. There was $60,000 budgeted in 2022.

Smaller programs include gas cards, filling Grundy County food pantries, and a literacy program.

Schmitz said the success of the program is because of the board and the people of Grundy County who support them each year. The main annual fundraiser, the Radio Auction, celebrated 40 years in December and brought in a record $227,000.

Lambros said she had many memorable moments with Schmitz. But, she knows he has left a permanent mark in Grundy County.

“He will leave his footprint wherever he goes. You never forget you met Joe Schmitz,” she said.

Schmitz still is the president of St. Nick and said, whenever he decides to step down, that it is important the charity remain volunteer only and that whoever the next president is a citizen of Grundy County.