In order to spread more good news in 2023, I have been writing about people and organizations giving back to the community.
Readers enjoy seeing uplifting, positive stories. So today, I wanted to write about a woman born and raised in Maryland and the good he is doing for the community.
Her name is Eleanor Robinson- let's take a quick look at her story.
The Maryland writer
Eleanor Robinson was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 1950.
She attended Montgomery Blair High School, where she met the man who would become her first husband and married him as soon as they graduated.
It was during a bad winter blizzard in 1979 that Eleanor began writing. She was housebound with two small children and so turned to writing. In 1981 her first book was published under the pen name of Nora Roberts.
Since then, she has become one of the biggest-selling romance writers in the world, having written over 225 books and sold over 500 million copies of her books. In addition, eleven of her books have been made into movies.
Her success has led to her building a multi-billion dollar fortune- and she has been generous in giving a lot of it back to the community.
Philanthropy
In 2001, Roberts created the Nora Roberts Foundation. The foundation was created as "an avenue of support for organizations promoting and encouraging literacy, children, the arts, and humanitarian efforts."
Through this foundation, Roberts has donated over $50 million.
In addition to literacy, Roberts supports cancer treatment, hospitals, and wildlife. In 2020, when the COVID pandemic hit, Roberts granted an additional 1% of the foundation's assets to hospitals in Maryland and Washington, DC. Before that announcement, they had already granted $806,500 to 54 hospitals.
For example, she donated $250,000 to Holy Cross Health, the largest birthing hospital in the state of Maryland.
Each year the Nora Roberts Foundation donates to Habitat for Humanity to help the nonprofit successfully rebuild communities and homes. To date, they have given over $3 million to this cause.
These are just a few examples of the generosity of this Maryland native.
The Foundation offers advice on applying for grants and recommends that eligible organizations ask for between $2,500 and $7,500. Preference is given to organizations located in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and West Virginia.
Your thoughts
What do you think of Eleanor Robinson's charity? What other organizations in Maryland would you like to see her support?
Please leave your thoughts in the comments below and share this article with others so they can join the conversation.
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