Follow Your Heart
“Wherever your heart responds, go help there”
An Interview with Local Author and Philanthropist Helaine Mario
We spoke with author Helaine Mario, who has supported Doorways for decades, about her writing, philanthropy, and what inspires her to create and give. Helaine has published five novels, donating all the royalties from her book sales to Doorways and other charities.
For Helaine Mario, both sharing stories and financially supporting local causes are driven by a deep, personal dedication to reaching out to and helping people.
It’s a “very intimate connection with someone you’ve never met in such a good and meaningful and positive way,” she said. “That’s why I write.”
Writing found Helaine, she said. “In every volunteer capacity, I gravitated toward writing, such as writing an article for a newspaper about a local organization, or a report for Save the Children.” And through her writing, she found a way to use her talent and skill to support the causes she cares about. Helaine and her late husband Ronald were dedicated “especially to small, local organizations,” like Doorways, she said, since they’re “less likely to get big grants, big money.”
Helaine chose Doorways because “I really believe in what you do,” she said. “I love my family and cannot imagine any woman being frightened by her partner – or even worse, afraid that her child won’t have a bed, or dinner, or warm pajamas, or a book,” she said. “EVERY woman needs a chance to keep her family safe. Hence, Doorways.” Furthermore, she said, “you try to cover all the bases, even with animals, allowing pets to come.”
Helaine cares deeply about the thousands of clients served by Doorways and the other charities she supports, although, like her readers, she doesn’t know them personally. “What I care about is reaching out to people,” she said. “What means the most to me is when I hear from readers I’ve never met, ‘Your book got me through the worst time in my life,’ or, ‘You got me back into reading again,’” she added.
To anyone wanting to use their skills and talents philanthropically, Helaine advised, “You can start so simply, just a small donation, or call up and say you have a Saturday morning free,” Helaine said. “It comes down to doing what you love. It has to strike a chord in you. Find something that strikes a chord in you and give whatever you can – time and money.”
“Follow your heart,” Helaine said, noting that everyone has specific emotional experiences and memories that lead them to connect with particular causes. “Wherever your heart responds, go help there.”
Explore Helaine’s five novels – the Maggie O’Shea series, The Lost Concerto, Dark Rhapsody, Shadow Music, and Echoes on the Wind, plus Firebird, a stand-alone novel – at helainemario.com.
