Cindy Hemeon-Plessner sees high returns on investment in Children's Auction

Cindy Hemeon-Plessner may be a banker by trade, but what she’s always invested in is children.

The former teacher and self-described “kid person” firmly believes everything she can do to support local youth benefits not just them but their families and the community as a whole.

“There are no bad investments when it comes to making a kid’s life better,” says Hemeon-Plessner, a Gilford native and resident of Laconia.

This drive to give the community’s youngest members what they need to succeed makes volunteering with the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction a perfect fit for Hemeon-Plessner. She’s given the region’s children and the auction a decade of dedication, and stepped down as the board’s secretary in June.

Hemeon-Plessner has played a key role in marketing the auction, served two terms on its board of directors and sat on the Distribution and Communications committees.

She got involved with the auction through her job as senior vice president and chief marketing and experience officer at Meredith Village Savings Bank, which has sponsored the Children’s Auction since its inauguration more than 40 years ago.

Hemeon-Plessner respects the broad impact the auction has — on children, families and nonprofits and businesses, as well.

“It spreads joy and promise,” she says, “and it brings together a ginormous community of volunteers and beneficiaries. Local businesses get their name out to thousands of people, whether they’re new or they’ve been donating volunteer time or goods year after year. It’s so good for all our businesses and the nonprofits the auction supports.”

Hemeon-Plessner’s first opportunity to work with children came in her teaching jobs. As part of Teach For America, she led an elementary school classroom in Los Angeles before moving to Houston to teach a bilingual third grade class. Her path in education, in fact, is what brought her back to the Lakes Region, where she earned her master’s degree in elementary education from Franklin Pierce University.

After joining MVSB 17 years ago, Hemeon-Plessner found her involvement with the auction to be a natural transition given the bank’s sponsorship of — and bank employees’ commitment to — the organization. She took part in fundraising events that support the auction, including a Pub Mania team and now a Community Challenge team.

She jumped at the chance to join the auction’s board, and serving on it has given her a better understanding of the direct impact the auction has on local nonprofits doing life-changing work in the community. On a broader level, the fundraiser provides a boost to the community simply by bonding people around the care of children.

“It’s unifying,” says Hemeon-Plessner, whose own child, Christopher — affectionately known as Topher — is now 23. “The enterprise that is the auction is huge, so everybody is needed. I can provide value. That’s a lovely feeling to have.”

Reflecting on her decade of service to the auction, Hemeon-Plessner says she is proud of her marketing efforts in recent years to provide an enhanced and consistent message to the public about what the auction is and how people can get involved. She also values that the Distribution Committee has improved its process for selecting grantees.

“We tweak the rubric and make it better every year,” she says.

Although Hemeon-Plessner will no longer take the minutes at board meetings, she will still be actively involved. She will remain on the Distribution Committee and will also lead an upcoming strategic planning initiative for the board.

Hemeon-Plessner’s work with the bank will also keep her connected.

“The auction has come a long way, and I’m excited about where it is going,” she says.

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The Sunshine Effect is a new series in The Laconia Daily Sun highlighting the people and organizations working to improve our communities through volunteering and fundraising. We believe that telling their stories will encourage others to support their work, and launch new charitable efforts of their own. Have a suggestion for someone making a difference we should feature? Share it with us at laconiadailysun.com/sunshineeffecttip.