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Watch this heartwarming song written and preformed by the Snow Family in tribute of Warren Bailey and all he has done for local children and families in need on behalf of the Lakes Region Children's Charitable Fund for Children. Our mission is to engage the community to financially support local children and families in need with a vision to ensure that every child is empowered to succeed and positively impact a thriving Greater Lakes Region community.

Click here to watch the 2023 Auction if you missed it! Thank you to Lakes Region Public Access, all four exciting days are available for viewing. Full article on Laconia Daily Sun, The 2023 Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction is in the books, having raised $711,493 for organizations that benefit local young people. While the point of the exercise is the collection and distribution of that funding, this year’s event also succeeded in developing a few improvements to the auction formula, no small task for something that has been around since started by radio personality Warren Bailey in 1982. Some of those tweaks to the auction’s operation, though small, have added up to a significant increase in bidding traffic this year, said board Chair Doug Morrissette. “The bidding, year over year, is up 40%,” Morrissette said on Friday morning, the last day of the four-day event. The Auction — now run by a small army of volunteers who do their work in a large space in Belknap Marketplace — has seen many evolutions since its early days, when it was just Bailey in a broadcast van, describing donated items over the radio, fueled by an earnest desire to help the children of his community. The Auction is now broadcast on the radio, on Lakes Region Public Access Television, and is streamed live online, reaching more potential bidders than ever. This year, those bidders have been able to compete in ways that were only previously available to people who paid extra last year. Previously, those who paid extra for “super bidder” status had access to offer prices on items before they actually reached the auction block. This year, auction organizers opened up bidding to hundreds of items on Black Friday, and many bids were placed before the auction even went live. All of those shoppers also had enhanced bidding capacity this year. In addition to placing a current bid, bidders could also set a “max bid” for each item, and if someone were to outbid them on an item, the system would automatically place a higher bid, up to the level of the max bid. There were some organizational changes, too. This year, a new role was added to the volunteer structure. Larry Poliquin, vice chair of the board, acted as “stage manager,” with the task of ensuring the television and radio sides of the production were all acting in concert. Poliquin, who works at the Bristol Hannaford, said, “Amazingly, it is a lot like managing a grocery store.” On Thursday, the Auction hosted a special night for families with cookies, stories, a visit from Santa and craft projects. More than 200 children and their adults came, injecting the space with youthful energy and a reminder about what the effort is all about. “There were kids running around everywhere, we haven’t had an audience like that in a long time,” said Jaimie Sousa, immediate past chair of the auction, who has stayed on as part of the IT team. “You could tell all the kids were having a blast,” said Morrissette, “It definitely gave the warm and fuzzies.” Sousa said there’s a new sense of energy for the Auction. “I am super, super excited about the new leadership on the board,” Sousa said. “We are just excited to see this thing grow.” The Community Challenge One element helping to propel the auction to new fundraising heights over the past many years has been Pub Mania, described as a “barstool challenge” that tasks teams to fill stools at Patrick’s Pub & Eatery in Gilford for a certain window of time, and in the process, to raise money for the Auction. Such a challenge was not possible during the pandemic, so Patrick’s instead pivoted the teams into the Community Challenge, offering teams a chance to find new ways to raise funds for the auction. This year, the barstool challenge returned — as only a 12-hour challenge instead of the original 24 — as part of the ongoing Community Challenge. “I have to say that the 12-hour version of Pub Mania did not let anyone down,” said Allan Beetle, Pub Mania founder and one of the owners of Patrick’s Pub. He said he suspected a shortened event would succeed, after seeing an example that a local Elks Club put on in recent memory, and he felt the existence of Pub Mania was important to help build and maintain teams for the Community Challenge. “It is still an exhausting 12 hours, but it is not nearly as difficult” as the 24-hour version, Beetle said. Having a shorter time frame made it easier to pack the event with special events and guests, such as bagpipers, singers and a performance by comedian Juston McKinney. “It’s a whole different feel for it, I think people really enjoyed it. The energy didn’t drop a single iota.” Making a difference in the lives of children While the amount of funding that the auction raises grows, so too is the awareness for the need of such an event. Jennifer Kelley, executive director of the auction, had previously noted that local organizations have submitted grant requests totaling more than $800,000. She said on Friday the changes brought to the auction this year will be an important way for those needs to be met. “That has opened up a revenue stream that we are excited to see what that will do for the kids and families in need in this area,” Kelley said. Lisa Cornish was one of the volunteers who took a week of vacation time to help put on the auction. She’s part of the team that processes each donated item brought in to be auctioned. She’s now a board member. Before that, she was a donor, then a volunteer. Before all of that, though, nearly 30 years ago, she was a single mother struggling to provide a life for her child. “My daughter and I were recipients of the auction. She was 2 and 3 [years old]. She’s 31 now,” Cornish said. It’s a joy for her to come together with what she calls her “auction family” to help provide the kind of assistance that she once needed. “It makes my heart swell, all the love and kindness in our community,” she said. “It wouldn’t be Christmas if I couldn’t do it.” Cornish said she is grateful for all of the people who help by donating items for the Auction. “What a difference it makes when you give,” she said. Though this year’s auction is now concluded, work already begins on the next one, Kelley said. “Stay tuned for ‘An Evening of Broadway’ in August, and before that, ‘Christmas in July,’” a midsummer yule celebration that takes place aboard the M/S Mount Washington. Find out all the details about future events at childrensauction.org.

First came the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, which inspired Pub Mania, which then evolved into the Community Challenge when a global pandemic closed down Patrichttps://www.patrickspub.comk’s Pub & Eatery. For three years, the Community Challenge plugged along, helping the Children’s Auction raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local organizations that help kids. This year, something curious happened. Pub Mania made a kind of return, but as a curtailed version, serving not as an event on its own, but as a celebration, or perhaps the exclamation point, punctuating the finale of the 30 Challenge teams’ collective fundraising efforts over the prior year. And it was never so successful. When Pub Mania — a 12-hour sprint this year, instead of the 24-hour marathons of previous years — concluded on the evening of Dec. 7, 2023 it had raised a collective $356,456 for the Children’s Auction, helping that annual event to raise $711,000 for the benefit of the youngest of the region’s residents in need. The 2023 version of Pub Mania is a lesson in how less can sometimes be more. Allan Beetle, one of the owners of Patrick’s and one of the founders of Pub Mania, said the 12-hour event contained just as much fun and community spirit as the 24-hour event did, but was much easier on organizers — all while raising more money than ever. Pub Mania took inspiration from another Children’s Auction fundraiser, during which teams of cyclists rode stationary bicycles for 24 hours. Beetle applied the model to the opposite end of the athletic spectrum — challenging teams to occupy a barstool for every hour around the clock. It started in 2009, and grew quickly. Part of Pub Mania’s success was due to the ability of each individual barstool team to find novel ways to raise money both before and during the timeframe of the event itself. Some teams discovered they could boost their individual team’s fundraising total — and therefore the collective total for the event — by hosting events such as walks and 5Ks, dance parties and concerts, or cribbage tournaments. When COVID protocols precluded the gathering of people for a 24-hour barstool challenge, the Pub Mania teams were spun off into what eventually became known as the Community Challenge, in which the focus was on those extracurricular fundraising events, which again funneled their proceeds into the Children’s Auction — a yearly auction of donated items which distributes its funds to nonprofits who serve local children and families in need. After a three-year hiatus, Pub Mania returned this year, albeit in a much shorter time frame. “I think that a lot of thought went into if we bring it back, how do we make it sustainable?” Beetle said. “The 12-hour version was a key element of that." There were some other changes behind the scenes, he said, such as having Meredith Village Savings Bank handle the deposits and accounting. “If anything, it was a step up, a notch up, from previous Pub Mania,” Beetle said. With a 12-hour event instead of 24, it’s easier for organizers to stuff each hour with events to help the time fly by. There was a comedy hour, a talent hour and many performances. “We had a variety of entertainment. It was fun. Each hour we’d feature some kind of entertainment. And on the other side of the coin, we usually encourage the 30 or so people to come up onstage,” Beetle said. Pub Mania, it turned out, served an important function for the Community Challenge teams. Even though the bulk of their fundraising occurred outside of the event, having a fun, in-person event was the inspiration for each team’s efforts. The ‘Tagg Team’ There are some new teams that join each year, and there are some that have stuck around for years. “Tagg Team,” led by Judi Taggart and her husband Butch, has been part of Pub Mania, and now also the Community Challenge, since the first year in 2009. This year, “Tagg Team” won the top award for “Outstanding Participation,” which measures how engaged and active team members were during the barstool challenge, and they also took fifth place on the “Top Dollar” charts, raising $26,831. Taggart said the team’s fundraising strategy has been holding what she calls “gift card galas,” which people attend in the hopes they will take home a gift card or two. The galas are held in the spring, shortly before Mother’s Day, so  winners can choose to give the cards as a gift to an important mother in their life, or keep it for themselves. Taggart said what’s kept the couple involved for so many years is the auction's efficiency, raising more than $700,000 this year with only one paid employee, and the fact that it will share the wealth with as many as 80 local organizations. Taggart was raised to have a desire to contribute to her community. “I used to be the campaign director for United Way,” Taggart said. “I’ve seen the ins and outs of the organizations that are being helped. I’ve seen it first hand.” Taggart said the strength of her team is in its diversity and inclusivity. “I like to include as many people as possible, each person can offer whatever they are comfortable with,” she said, noting Pub Mania helps to promote such diversity. “They can sit on the barstool, they can ask their friends and family to donate, they can write personal checks,” she said. Many UPS drivers are on the team, who do their own activities to raise more than $1,000. Another member of her team collects spare change all year long, raiding every coin jar she is granted access to, and brings in several hundred dollars in the process. Pub Mania, Taggart said, “is a way to have people come face-to-face together. Whether you’re sitting on the bar stool or stopping by for lunch or dinner, it’s a gathering event to bring people together. It’s kind of like the glue of the Community Challenge.” The Referees During Pub Mania, there are rules, and there are points to be awarded for those who follow the rules. With rules come referees, and this year, Joshua Ritson donned a referee jersey for the event. This wasn’t Ritson’s first Pub Mania; he has seen the event from a few different angles. He worked at Patrick’s for a few years, starting in 2015, both in the kitchen and in the front of the house, and his takeaway from those years was how “really well-organized and planned” the event was, thanks to Allan and Jennifer Beetle and the other leadership in the restaurant. Ritson left the service industry in 2018 to get into real estate — he currently works for Coldwell Banker — but he said it was an easy answer when Beetle asked him to come back for Pub Mania’s return. “It’s a fun, easy way to give back and engage with the community. I want to be a role model for my kids” and show what community service can look like, he said. “In a sense, it does kind of hit home because I can see first hand where that money goes. I think it’s so important to have people like Allan and Jen to be part of the community. When they asked me I was kind of honored in a way. It’s a fun way to raise money for a great cause.” So much fun, in fact, Ritson said his abdominal muscles were sore at the end of the event from so much laughing. Holiday spirit Ritson said Pub Mania offers a chance for the community-minded people of the Lakes Region to join together. “There is really no end-of-the-year celebration, which is kind of what Pub Mania is,” Ritson said. “I feel like this is a chance to do that in a fun way. I think think it’s a home run.” For Taggart, “This is my Christmas. Family aside, this is what Christmas is really about, helping people in need.” She said her sentiments were captured by Warren Bailey, the broadcaster who founded the Children’s Auction. “I think Warren Bailey said it so well at the opening ceremonies when he said there’s so much love in this room. You want to believe that there’s love in the world, the love definitely exists at Pub Mania and in the people involved.” Beetle expressed a similar idea. “It brings back how there are so many awesome people in our community, in one day to see so many people show up who raised money on behalf of the kids. There aren’t that many experiences when you are that enlivened by the goodness of the community.” Ritson expected Pub Mania’s return to be a lasting one. “I can tell a lot of people are looking forward to next year, myself included.” Read entire Laconia Daily Sun Article, Dec 26, 2023

U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan recognized Paige Youschak-Thompson of Laconia as December’s Granite Stater of the Month. Youschak-Thompson is known in the Lakes Region for her dedication to volunteer work and bettering the community. She began regularly volunteering while her daughter was in school and now that her daughter is an adult, Youschak-Thompson volunteers five days a week, regularly putting in more than 40 hours. Being able to help the community brings Youschak-Thompson great joy, and she plans to continue volunteering for as long as she can. She showcases the Granite State spirit of giving every day of the year. Hassan launched the “Granite Stater of the Month” initiative in 2017 to recognize outstanding New Hampshire citizens who go above and beyond to help their neighbors and make their communities stronger. Hassan’s statement for the Congressional Record reads: "I am honored to recognize Paige Youschak-Thompson of Laconia as December’s Granite Stater of the Month. Paige is known throughout the Lakes Region for her service to different organizations. Although she has always volunteered, she became more active when her daughter was in school, and now, with her daughter an adult, volunteering has become the equivalent of a full-time job. Paige volunteers five days a week for more than 40 hours a week. Paige will never say no when someone asks for her help. Although she does not have a favorite cause or organization, The Saint Vincent de Paul Society, a local thrift shop, has a special place in her heart since it is where she first started to consistently volunteer. In addition, Paige is especially fond of helping kids in the community, and believes in giving all children a chance, regardless of their income level. She worked with a local boutique to help provide free prom dresses to girls who may otherwise not be able to have one. Paige is also the chair of the community engagement committee for the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, which helps local children and families in need — it has distributed more than $8 million over the last 40 years to the community. Paige’s strong pull towards volunteer work stems from her deep and lifelong desire to be a person who helps out and holds space for others. Paige makes other people happy in any way that she can. Being able to help the community brings her great joy, and she plans to continue volunteering for as long as she can. Paige showcases the Granite State spirit of giving every day of the year, and I am honored to name her Granite Stater of the Month. Especially as we enter the holiday season, I hope that we can all aspire to give our time and support to our community as freely as Paige does." Read full article in the Laconia Daily Sun, Dec 20, 2023

Laconia Daily Sun, Dec. 6, 2023 Full article With an event that’s been around for as long as the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction, which dates back to 1982, one might presume it has found a routine operating plan it can follow year after year. In fact, it’s the opposite reality for the Auction, which each year sets a goal of raising more money for local nonprofit organizations than it did the prior year, which isn’t achievable by repeating the same model year after year. Last year, the Auction raised $635,000. “I would love to get to that $700,000 mark, for sure,” said Doug Morrissette, chair of the Auction board, though he added the official goal, as it has been since radio veteran Warren Bailey started the Auction, is to raise $1 more than the prior year. The Annual event, at its core, features the live auctioning of donated items to raise money to be distributed back into the Lakes Region community, given as grants to charities that benefit the lives of local children. Morrissette, taking over as chair this year after serving the past three as treasurer, said the organization doesn’t have a measure of how many local children’s lives are touched by the auction. However, it’s easily into the thousands, as last year the auction gave grants to 59 local nonprofits, and some of those organizations each serve several hundred children. He noted that more than 80 organizations have submitted grant applications this year, and the requests total more than $800,000. “The need is definitely out there,” Morrissette said. To meet that need, organizers have found ways to amend their operation toward the goal of reaching new heights. One way is through the proliferation of events, such as concerts or fundraising parties, that have taken place throughout the year. Morrissette said these events serve a dual purpose — they help build the fundraising total well before the auction begins, and they also bring in a new group of potential auction supporters. “The auction is definitely a well-oiled machine, but in order to find ways to raise more money, we are trying to do more events throughout the year,” Morrissette said. “During the summertime we have that expanded group, we are able to capitalize on that and make sure they’re aware of the need around the community and be aware of ways to give back.” Jennifer Kelley, executive director for the Auction, said another evolution of the Auction will be familiar to those who paid an extra $100 to become “Super Bidders” in previous Auctions. Organizers liked the “Super Bidder” program so much that they decided to cancel the exclusive program and extend those privileges to every bidder. This year, every bidder will have the ability to not only bid for an item, but will also be able to set a “max bid” amount for that item. The max bid will trigger automatic re-bids on items if they get outbid. Here’s how it works. Let’s say you’d be willing to pay up to $50 for an item, but the current bid is $20. You could put in a bid of $25, and also enter your max bid of $50. If someone later bids $30, the system would automatically submit a bid of $35 on your behalf, and would continue to do so, upping the bid to the next $5 increment, until doing so would exceed the max bid you’ve designated. “This year, which is very exciting and new, every single bidder can put a max bid on any single item,” Kelley said. The function is designed to be especially useful to people who are trying to follow the Auction while at work or running errands, so they feel they can check in several times throughout the day and not worry about losing items in between. Kelley said she is also excited about some special events they’ve scheduled this year to encourage people to visit the Auction headquarters, located this year at the Belknap Marketplace, formerly known as the Belknap Mall. One such event is a Family Night happening from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday evening. “It’s a free opportunity for families to come in and experience the Auction and have a lot of fun,” Kelley said. Visitors will be able to get pictures with both Santa and the Grinch, there will be a sing-along with the talented Snow family, cookie decorating, a Lowe's DIY toy workshop, and Ed Darling will read Christmas stories. “We really want to celebrate with families and let them see what the Auction is like." The Auction headquarters is a festive and joyful scene, powered by people who love to help their neighbors, and Kelley said she’s eager to share that experience with the broader public. “There’s a lot of need in this community. I think we are really lucky to live amongst a group of people who give their hearts and soul to make it a better community,” Kelley said. The Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction will be live from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Dec. 5-8, and can be heard on Lakes 101.5 FM, watched on LRPA TV Channel 25 and Breezeline Channel 12 or streamed via laconiadailysun.com and ChildrensAuction.org. A big heartfelt thank you to all of our media partners for helping us make an impact in our community.

Read more on our blog! Open to the community and it is a free event. No need to register!

Click here to read the WMUR article and watch the video The Greater Lakes Region Children's Auction is a weeklong auction that has over 2,500 donated items that help raise money for Lakes Region nonprofits. Next week will be the 42nd year of the Children's Auction which will run Dec. 5-8, daily from 9am-7pm Last year, the event raised more than $600,000. Anyone can donate items, including businesses. Items include everything from toys to boats. "This year, we have the Blackstone flat top grills, kayaks, Sonos sound systems, experiences, hundreds of toys for kids of all ages and so much more that can be bid on and auction off,” said Doug Morrissette, chair of the Children’s Auction. If you are looking to donate items, or make a bid yourself, or just learn more please visit www.childrensauction.org.

Click here for the November Newsletter

It's by the Kids: An anthology of children’s artwork and stories Volume Two For the second year in a row, the Janice Beetle Books Challenge Team invited children in the Lakes Region to submit stories and artwork to be published in an anthology that will be sold to raise money for the Greater Lakes Region Children's Auction. Children from preschool through grade 12 took part by submitting a typed, short story or poem and/or a drawing, illustration or sketch to Janice Beetle Books. These material were compiled in an anthology called It’s by the Kids, which Is now available for sale. The book costs $12, and it’s available at janicebeetlebooks.com/shop; all proceeds support the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction. Material ranges from vivid artwork and self-portraits to haikus, short stories and thought-provoking material by older writers. The Beetle Books Challenge team is one of several dozen teams committed to raising money for the Children’s Auction, a nonprofit in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire that supports children and families in need. Learn more at childrensauction.org. It’s by the Kids will be published annually, and young writers and authors who wish to publish work in the 2024 edition can email Janice Beetle at janice@beetlepress.com for more information. Order here

The world's greatest barstool challenge is back at Patrick's Pub in Gilford NH! After 11 years and over $2.3 Million raised on behalf of children in need, Pub Mania returns December 7, 2023 as part of the 2023 Challenge raising funds for the Children's Auction. Teams of 12 (one for each hour of the event) represent local businesses, organizations and friends and families committed to making a difference with kids - create teams and creatively fundraise their way to Closing Ceremonies, where coveted awards await the top teams in this friendly but spirited event. It's all for the kids, and we invite you to join in the fun and excitement as we take the spirit of giving to a whole new level this year! Click here for lots more info!

The Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction will host a family night on Thursday, Dec 7, from 5-7 PM. Have your picture taken with Santa, meet the Grinch, build a toy in Santa’s workshop, holiday cookie decorating, face painting, Christmas Sing- A Long with the Snow Family, and Holiday story readings! The 2023 Greater Lakes Region Children's Auction is located at the Belknap Marketplace on Tuesday, Dec. 5 through Friday, Dec. 8, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. All are invited to come to the event and experience the magic in person. The auction will be streamed live at ChildrensAuction.org, LaconiaDailySun.com and Facebook.com/ChildrensAuction. Watch live on Lakes Region Public Access TV Channel 25, or listen on Lakes FM 101.5. Viewers can bid online at ChildrensAuction.org, starting on Black Friday, Nov 24. Bidders who create an account at ChildrensAuction.org, can bid early on high-value items. New this year, any bidder can also put a maximum bid on any items that will close during the week of the auction. Donations for the Auction are being accepted at over 30 business locations until Dec. 1. Click here for a complete list of collection sites. We also have collection drop off at the Belknap Marketplace, home of the 2023 Auction, on Dec 2-4 from 10am-2pm as well. If you’d like to become a sponsor, view options at childrensauction.org/sponsorship, email Jenn@ChildrensAuction.org or call 603-527-0999.