Our Very Own Charity Mage

Er… I mean.. Mabes ;)

Or you might know her as @Mabetini on Twitter - one of the lovely mods of a sanctioned Zachary Quinto fan group called SArmy or Sylar’s Army (soon to be ZArmy?).

Here’s some of the basic deets on our 23 year-old Mabes. Having just graduated from the University of Maine with a major in Mass Communications and a Minor in English, she is now working as a secretary at the Provost Office of the same University.

Mabes loves working out (for nice toned female biceps! woohoo!), writing, photography and doing creative stuff on Photoshop (I shan’t ask if she’s the culprit of any of the Mylar slash pics out there ;) )

Other than “Heroes”, Mabes enjoys watching the Food Network and reality shows like “True Life” and “Deadliest Catch”.


And “as corny as it sounds”, Mabes firmly states her mom as her biggest inspiration. “She’s worked very hard over the past several years to get the job she wanted without having had a college degree under her belt. It was cool to watch her journey.”

Mabes also lists her very close friends as her other major inspirations as well as “people I’ve met through Heroes and the creation of the Sarmy who are wonderful, kind-hearted souls despite hardships in their lives. I wouldn’t be Mabes without them.”

To add a touch of glorious pink estrogen cloud to the decidedly male biceps-tual focus on this blog, I felt it was only right to dedicate a couple of post to Mabes so that she can flex her own strengths and inspire the rest of us!!

A few of you have sent in questions for Mabes and here they are!!

Part 1 - SArmy/ZArmy related questions:

What inspired you to begin doing charity work through SArmy? (from @kannbrown)

It was definitely a group effort! When the SArmy was formed in the Sylar General Appreciation thread on the 9th Wonders forum, someone suggested we should use our love of Sylar for the betterment of mankind, and raise money for charity.

What keeps me going now is a general passion for helping others. I’ve always felt a desire to do so, but never had such a great tool for bringing people together as I do now with Sarmy.

In high school I would help collect items for homeless shelters when I could, and my first year in college I collected items for soldiers in Iraq until my personal funds ran out. I realized that I couldn’t do this sort of thing on my own, which is why the SArmy was and is so great. We bring people together from all corners of the world, and make substantial donations to good causes!

How did Zach find out about SArmy, and when did he first officially sanction the charity work done by SArmy? (from @syzzlyn)

I’m not sure exactly how he found out about us, but if I had to guess I would say that he met some members and they explained to him what we were trying to do.

I asked my go-to friend and charter SArmy member Sel about the first time that Zachary mentioned us publicly because I couldn’t remember – it’s been so long! We’re pretty sure that it was a TV Guide interview, which can be found here.

Another big moment for us was when he talked about the SArmy on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and spoke of our efforts, even with Jimmy was poking fun. Zachary really played a big role in helping us gain recognition and expand our reach; we owe a lot to him!

What are the charities which are closest to your heart? (from @syzzlyn)

I personally am very passionate about any charities involving animals. We’ve only done something of that nature once, but I’m hoping we can do more in the future, especially since Zachary heavily supports such charities.

Also, the Epilepsy Foundation is one that I care a lot about, because SArmy mod and close friend Natalie has Epilepsy. You can read more about her on our website’s ‘About’ page.

In general, any time that there is a disaster of some sort, like with the horrible events in Haiti, I have to try and help. If we can give something to save lives in immediate danger, then I think we should always step up.

What's the craziest/silliest thing you've ever done for charity? (from @eserei27)

I don’t know if I’ve ever done anything particularly crazy, but I do travel a lot for Heroes fun.

My first time meeting Zachary, I took a bus from Bangor Maine to Boston Massachusetts where I met a couple of SArmy members and Heroes fans. We drove all night to get to New York for the Heroes World Tour. I was able to get into the press section while there, and had some incredibly good luck with the people there.

A photographer from TV Guide had been standing next to me, helping me with my camera settings, and we chatted a bit. When he found out I was there to try to get a video of Zachary for the SArmy website, he helped me make that connection and I was able to get what I needed. He was a nice guy! Thinking back, that is probably the craziest thing that’s happened to me.

What is your most favorite charitable thing that the SArmy has done? (from @eserei27)

I really like everything we’ve done with Alex the Pumpkin Geek. His work is amazing, unique, and brings something fresh that attracts attention to our causes. I’m very excited about the new Pumpkin Geek / ZArmy giveaway we have going on right now!

(Note: Check out the last paragraph of this blog for the link!)

What are you happiest moments concerning SArmy? (from @Selestina118)

It’s always rewarding when I send money off that we’ve collected for donation. Those moments are my favorite. Also, when I hear from people who say that they’ve met their best friend through Heroes or through SArmy, it always makes me smile.

What would you like to see SArmy do next? (from @Selestina118)

Next, I want SArmy to fully become ZArmy, and turn into an official charity.

I think that we could do a lot of work in general fandoms, helping people connect and raise money. A lot of fandoms are very active with such endeavors and I’ve been really impressed! I think there is a ton of potential and surplus ambition behind fans of all shows. It’s something I’d love to try and tackle.


In Part 2 of the interview, Mabes will reveal answers to some fun, personal questions that were posed to her.

So remember to check back here in another few days!

Meanwhile, a SArmy/ ZArmy online giveaway is going on at this very moment with some very awesome prizes - including a pumpkin with famous eyebrows carved by the talented and big-hearted @ThePumpkinGeek!

To enter, check out the contest link here!!!