The 2023 Greater Lakes Region Children's Auction was a historic success. Over the past four decades, the auction has distributed over $8 million to nonprofits that serve local children and families in need. This year alone, the auction raised $711,493. Witnessing first-hand how the greater Lakes Region comes together is truly spectacular and the sense of community is palpable.

If you sign up for a private lesson at Gunstock Mountain Resort, there's a high chance your instructor might be someone who helps make this all possible for the auction.

Jennifer Kelley has been a ski instructor here at Gunstock for six years after migrating to New Hampshire from Connecticut. In between lessons, Jennifer is also the Executive Director of the Greater Lakes Region Children's Auction.

She has a long history of working in education and in the children's non-profit world, even starting her own non-profit 15 years ago with her daughter back home in Connecticut before moving to the Lakes Region to take on her current role as Executive Director.

In previous years, fundraising for the Children's Auction came exclusively from the signature event in December. Jennifer knew there was more that could be done and in doing so created a 12-person Community Engagement Committee which works throughout the year to create events, fundraise and build awareness of the Children's Auction. 

When Jennifer moved to the area, she was immediately interested in working at Gunstock, having made trips to the mountain from Connecticut since she was a child. Inititially she was unsure if what department she wanted to work in. She's been a skier her whole life and previously a preschool teacher, so she decided to give ski instructing a try. She met with Sara Caveney, Gunstock's Snowsports School Manager and the two immediately clicked and she went off, carving out a niche for herself in leading private and semi-private lessons.

She finds that there's a strong connection between the work she does with the Greater Lakes Region Children's Auction and the work she does on the slopes as a ski instructor at Gunstock Mountain Resort. "It's all about taking kids' passion and turning it into action, showing children the joy of something new. I wake up every morning trying to make the world a better place. I get to do it on the slopes and at the Children's Auction, so that's awesome." Jennifer says.

We're incredibly lucky to be a part of the community in the Lakes Region.

"I have lived in a lot of places and been in the non-profit world in Connecticut for 15 years, and [then] moving here. I've never seen a community like this before. Everyone is just so incredibly giving, financially, and of their time. It's a gem. And I never knew... But this is a place that, had I known how amazing this community was, I would have come up sooner," Jennifer Added.