---
title: 'Money Hero: Mandy Houk'
description: 'Mandy Houk, writer and English teacher Why she''s a hero: In June 2012, Colorado''s Waldo Canyon wildfire consumed nearly 350 homes and caused $450 million…'
authors:
  - name: timestaff
    url: https://money.com/author/timestaff/
    articles: 459
    covers:
      - Banking
      - Career Advice
      - Credit
      - Credit Cards
      - Housing
      - Identity Theft
      - Insurance
      - Investing
      - Lifestyle
      - Loans
      - Mortgages
      - Personal Finance
      - Professional Services
      - Retirement
      - Shopping
      - Taxes
    former_staff: true
published: '2014-03-25T21:31:52.000Z'
modified: '2020-07-07T10:28:20.000Z'
section: Education
word_count: 199
canonical: https://money.com/money-hero-mandy-houk/
type: Article
source: structured-blocks
---

> **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/).

![Policeman Directing ... No Traffic, 1948](https://img.money.com/2012/01/506162441.jpg)

**Mandy Houk, writer and English teacher**

**Why she's a hero:** In June 2012, Colorado's Waldo Canyon wildfire consumed nearly 350 homes and caused $450 million in damage.

Watching from her nearby Black Forest home, Houk thought "how stupid my stuff looked" in light of others' losses. So she enlisted her church and writers' group to collect donations of household goods, then held free "garage sales" where affected families picked out items ranging from muffin tins to bedroom sets.

And then she was at it again: Soon after a June 2013 fire that destroyed more than 500 homes (and threatened her own), Houk was gearing up for another giveaway.

**Quote:** "The stuff itself has no meaning. What's meaningful is that other people help you get on with your life."

\-- Joan Caplin

*For a special feature in our July issue, Money magazine is searching for 50 more Money Heroes. Do you know of an unsung person who has made an extraordinary effort to improve other people’s personal finances?*

*  
If so, please tell us about your Money Hero in the form below, and a Money staffer will follow up on your suggestions.  
*

*Thanks!*

[← Back](/wp-json/tempo/v1/documents?path=%2Ffara%2Fv1%2Fname%2Fmoney-hero-mandy-houk%2F&crops=thumbnail%2Cmarquee_large_2x%2Capp_list_thumbnail_2x%2Cmedium_2x&html=true&use_https=true&site=all&engine=default&page=0&static_path&types=money_article%2Cmoney_longform&fara=true)

#### Thank you for your response. ✨

![](image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAD/ACwAAAAAAQABAAACADs=)

Who's your Money Hero, and why?

Where does your hero live?

How can we reach your hero?

Your name

Your email address (optional but helpful if we need more information about your hero)

Your phone number (also optional)

-

Submit

Δdocument.getElementById( "ak\_js\_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

*Find [Money on Facebook](http://facebook.com/MoneyMagazine "Money page on Facebook"). Follow [Money on Twitter](http://twitter.com/money "@Money").*

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "@id": "https://money.com/money-hero-mandy-houk/#breadcrumb",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "Home",
          "item": "https://money.com"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "Education",
          "item": "https://money.com/education/"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Teachers",
          "item": "https://money.com/teachers/"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 4,
          "name": "Money Hero: Mandy Houk"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "WebSite",
      "@id": "https://money.com/#website",
      "url": "https://money.com",
      "name": "Money",
      "publisher": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/#organization"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://money.com/money-hero-mandy-houk/#webpage",
      "url": "https://money.com/money-hero-mandy-houk/",
      "name": "Money Hero: Mandy Houk",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/#website"
      },
      "datePublished": "2014-03-25T21:31:52.000Z",
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/money-hero-mandy-houk/"
      },
      "inLanguage": "en-US",
      "breadcrumb": {
        "@id": "https://money.com/money-hero-mandy-houk/#breadcrumb"
      },
      "dateModified": "2020-07-07T10:28:20.000Z"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Article",
      "headline": "Money Hero: Mandy Houk",
      "articleSection": "Education",
      "image": [
        {
          "@type": "ImageObject",
          "url": "https://img.money.com/2012/01/506162441.jpg",
          "width": 2292,
          "height": 2048,
          "caption": "Policeman Directing ... No Traffic, 1948"
        }
      ],
      "author": [
        {
          "@type": "Person",
          "name": "timestaff",
          "url": "https://money.com/author/timestaff/",
          "@id": "https://money.com/author/timestaff/#author"
        }
      ],
      "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization",
      "datePublished": "2014-03-25T21:31:52.000Z",
      "description": "Mandy Houk, writer and English teacher Why she's a hero: In June 2012, Colorado's Waldo Canyon wildfire consumed nearly 350 homes and caused $450 million…",
      "abstract": "Mandy Houk, writer and English teacher Why she's a hero: In June 2012, Colorado's Waldo Canyon wildfire consumed nearly 350 homes and caused $450 million…",
      "@id": "https://money.com/money-hero-mandy-houk/",
      "inLanguage": "en-US",
      "dateModified": "2020-07-07T10:28:20.000Z",
      "wordCount": 199,
      "about": [
        {
          "@type": "Thing",
          "name": "Education",
          "sameAs": [
            "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education"
          ]
        },
        {
          "@type": "Thing",
          "name": "Teacher",
          "sameAs": [
            "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teacher"
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```