[2][3] Her family moved to Arcadia, California soon afterward, where Brown enrolled in Pasadena City College.

[3] Brown would periodically travel to the Philippines every two years after her marriage, bringing her children and husband, to visit her family and tour the country.

[7] Brown worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for thirty-four years, retiring in 1974.

[7][3] While Brown enjoyed teaching, she felt confined by the school curriculum, and applied to become a Pupil Personnel and Attendance Counselor.

[8] She also lobbied on behalf of Filipino-American schoolteachers, working to increase the number of teachers and to see them promoted within the system.

[8] In 1988, the Pamana Foundation was established by Helen Brown, Tania Azores, Brad Bagasao, and Ming Menez to encourage interest in Filipino-American culture and history, with the library as a research center.

[8] PARRAL was moved to Luzon Plaza in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles in March 1994, providing more visibility.

[8] At 6,000 items, including books, pamphlets, photographs, and artifacts, it was the largest collection of Filipino and Filipino-American reading materials in the United States.

Auntie Helen's Gift of Books was created by Florante Ibanez in 2005 to recognize Brown and the founding of the FAL.