Children's Auction still seeking donations of items for bid

BELMONT — Right up to the 11th hour before the 44th Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction starts, donations were pouring in on Monday, as volunteers and board members prepared for the annual event that has raised more than $9.2 million to help local children since it began.

Greg Lafoe, an employee for Watermark Marine Supply Store, pushed a shopping cart with boxes of inflatable kayaks and towable tubes through the entry of the auction headquarters on Monday afternoon. Wearing a smile, knowing the items will surely make someone happy and also provide funds for children's causes, Lafoe said he loves to be able to give back to his community.

“Anything to help out people in need,” Lafoe said.

A short time after, auction Chair Doug Morissette walked into the headquarters with an envelope of cash donations in his hand, much to the delight of Executive Director Jenn Kelley.

“There are never enough donations, because the need really just keeps growing year after year,” Kelley said. “The more items we get, the more money we make, and the more money we give. While we are so grateful for the amount of items we have right now, we are always asking for more.”

The day before the auction is one of both anticipation and excitement for all who take part. This year is different, however, as it is the first event without Warren Bailey, the founder and the driving force behind the auction. While he is not there in a physical form — he died in August — Kelley said his spirit will always live on and continue to inspire those involved.

“We’ve got so many volunteers helping and people coming in to give donations, dropping off items,” Kelley said. “This year is all in celebration of Warren Bailey, who sadly passed this summer. I am so incredibly grateful that he was the visionary that he was to start this. The community relies on the money we raise.”

Morissette said on Monday the group had about 1,500 items to auction off so far, and about 2,800 are needed. He is encouraging people to keep bringing items in. They can be dropped off all week long.

“People were dropping off all weekend,” he said. “We had a lot of items dropped off Saturday and Sunday, with just over 500 dropped. That is fantastic. It is amazing to see the community do this for such a great cause.”

Kelley said this is an “incredibly giving and thoughtful community," and she could not be more excited for this week’s push to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for children in the Lakes Region. While Laconia is at the heart of the distribution, it spans far and wide, going all the way west to Andover, north to Sandwich, east to Ossipee, and south to Pittsfield.

Lakes Region Public Access and Lakes 101.5 FM are handling the brunt of the broadcasting for the week-long event, and representatives of both were making sure all was getting set up and ready to go.

Grace McNamara, station manager for LRPA, spent Monday making sure the audio and video feeds were working properly, using past experience to ensure a seamless production. She and her husband Marc, who was also volunteering at the auction, were sorting through headsets and making sure all the gear was in place.

“Today’s our last day to double check the audio and video, and then tomorrow morning we go live over broadcast and streaming,” said McNamara, who is in her 11th year as the station manager. “I’m the fourth station manager with the auction, and I know I speak for everyone when I say it is an honor to work with so many volunteers in the community.”

McNamara said it is truly a giant family that puts it all together, and every person has a role in making it work.

Lakes FM owner Dirk Nadon has been with the auction since its start. He reminisced about the work Bailey, his good friend, did since he started the event, raising just over $2,100 out of a radio station van.

“He sparked an idea that has now raised almost $10 million,” Nadon said. “How do you compare that with anything?”

Debbie Frawley Drake has been volunteering for “many, many years,” and will be at the auction from start to finish. She said watching the community come together is the best part of all.

“It makes my heart smile,” she said. “This helps so many kids and brings so much positivity, and we need that more now than ever.”

Amy Daley is recently retired, and is not only a new Gilford resident, she is also new to the auction board of directors. She has helped with the Christmas in July cruise on the M/S Mount Washington, as well as selling ornaments, and getting together the Governor’s Island Club’s first ever Pub Mania team.

Daley puts an emphasis on children and education when it comes to her charitable giving, and she said the Children’s Auction is the perfect way to give back.

“I am having a ball,” Daley said.

Larry Poliquin is the store manager for Hannaford in Bristol, which for the fifth year is the presenting sponsor of the event. He is also the vice chair of the board of directors, and serves on the distribution committee, determining how the funds are divvied out.

“A lot of people see this as a holiday season kickoff,” said Poliquin, who has been involved in the auction for 20 years. “There’s a lot of anticipation and excitement going on, and we’re just hopeful that the community will come together in a big way like they do each year.”

Veronica Rosa, chief advancement officer for Concord Hospital, said for the second straight year, she will be there with her entire senior leadership team.

“I’m so excited for this week,” she said. “I love this stuff.”

Board member Bob Laraway was looking around the auction headquarters as volunteers ran around, conferring with one another on what was needed to make everything run. Everyone is a cog in a system that will, this week, raise money to assist about 42,000 children in need.

“This is purely community driven,” Laraway said. “It’s a labor of love for all of us.”

The auction will kick off at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9, with Morrissette saying there will be an unveiling of a dedication to Bailey.

“He was able to bring the community together, and that is the whole point every single year, to help kids in need,” Morrissette said. “That is what he was all about. Warren will always be in our hearts."

Auction headquarters is at Belknap Marketplace, and the Greater Lakes Region Children's Auction runs 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, Dec. 9-12.

It will be broadcast daily on Lakes 101.5 FM, Lakes Region Public Access channels 25 and 9002 on Breezeline, and Comcast Channel 8, and streamed live at laconiadailysun.com and childrensauction.org.

Bid by calling 603-527-0999 or at childrensauction.org.