The power of a good book: Mary Ann Zawada's effort to honor sister's legacy results in textbooks to first-year students

It was a tough year for Denise Malone-Harris.

She was excited to return to academia after a 20-year hiatus.

Malone-Harris waited patiently for her four kids to mature before she returned to a college campus. Then her mother died.

“I was freaking out figuring out how to pay for textbooks,” said Malone-Harris, who enrolled at University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2008. “I was waiting for a blessing.”

That blessing came in the form of Dr. Mary Ann Zawada. A retired director of UM-Dearborn’s counseling program, she established the Helen Zawada-Bronisz Book Fund to honor her sister’s passion for books and devotion to the community.

The fund helps first-year students, like Malone-Harris, who enrolled in the university’s Student Outreach and Academic Services (SOAR) program, pay for textbooks.

“To just say ‘thank you’ doesn’t adequately express my appreciation,” said Malone-Harris, who graduated in April with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. “She doesn’t even know me. This support comes from the goodness of her heart. I know that when I begin my career, I want to be able to give back in a similar way and support others the way I have been supported here at UM-Dearborn. She has inspired me to pay it forward.”

SOAR increases access to post-secondary education for nontraditional adult learners throughout metropolitan Detroit who endure socioeconomic challenges. Those challenges often prevent men and women from pursuing a college degree, so financial support from donors like Zawada has a major impact.

“Dr. Zawada’s generosity is of immeasurable value to our first-year SOAR students who are already juggling multiple demands on their time and resources as they begin their studies at UM-Dearborn,” said SOAR Director Ellen Judge-Gonzalez. “Being able to get textbooks in time for the first day of class and not having to worry about the expense for a couple of semesters lifts a burden off of the students’ shoulders and assists in their successful transition to UM-Dearborn. Just as significant is how meaningful it is to have someone believe in their potential, and that is exactly what Mary Ann does in loving memory of her sister.”

Her sister’s life revolved around books, as Helen Zawada-Bronisz served 30 years as an elementary school librarian in New Mexico. Helen was known throughout her community for donating books and clothing to those in need.

“She would put books together in boxes, and at night, she would get in her car and drive to impoverished neighborhoods, and she’d leave the boxes of books on people’s porches,” Zawada said. “She’d ring the doorbell and run away because she wanted them to be surprised.”

Zawada-Bronisz’s legacy continues today, as the book fund has lifted the financial burden off several SOAR students. Zawada’s contributions to SOAR were recognized last month at the annual SOAR Student Recognition Reception.

“This keeps her legacy alive for me,” she said.