Hermantown’s Cyndi Lewis Paves the Way for Others in the Community

HERMANTOWN, Minn. — There are only so many hours in a day, and one local woman likes to make the most of them as she finds herself giving back to the community through various organizations. Hermantown mom Cyndi Lewis wears many hats throughout her day-to-day life. One is her role as the Director of Development at Duluth’s Salvation Army.

“When you go to college, or you want to go to college, and you think about the careers, the doctor, lawyer, astronaut, right? So, no one ever really talks about development, I didn’t even know. And I read that, and I was like, that sounds like something I could do,” said Lewis.

Cyndi’s role is to translate the Salvation Army mission to people out in the community. By sharing real-life stories, her hope is more people will volunteer and donate to support people in need. Cyndi also found herself in a new role for the Salvation Army, where she was out in the community bell ringing, as the Red Kettle Queen.

“We need ringers, we need volunteers, we need donations, right? And at some point, becomes white noise, and you just drown it out. Like everything else. right? So what’s going to capture someone’s attention? It’s marketing,” said Lewis.

Her role at the Salvation Army is just a part of her work in the community. She is also the President of the Hermantown PTO, an organization dedicated to supporting students, teachers and classrooms. It’s also completely run by volunteers.

“That’s the most rewarding part about volunteering, is that is seeing the direct impact. That’s the best part,” said Lewis.

Cyndi said once she sets her mind to something, there’s no going back, and a main reason for volunteering with the PTO was her determination to prevent bullying in schools.

“I just wanted to make sure that we continue to fund those things and support those things because it is a hot-button issue for me and everybody goes into volunteering for whatever reason, right? There’s, there’s always a reason, and that’s my reason,” said Lewis.

Cyndi is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Duluth, a non-profit organization that gives kids opportunities through scholarships and family events.

“You get to be there and interact with the kids and see how excited they are for the pizza and the train ride, kids that would maybe not have ever had the opportunity to do that,” said Lewis.

Another one of Cyndi’s community ventures is what she calls “adopting a grandparent.” When leaving her position at a senior home, Cyndi knew she had to do something about the seniors who didn’t have family visitors. So, she “adopted” resident Nancy Nelson.

“And I was like, I can’t take them all. But I can’t not take anyone. So, I was like, who can I adopt into my family?” said Lewis.

Cyndi’s work at these organizations is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her work in the community. She’s also a business owner and created North Shore Pebble Art and is the leader of many other projects. Cyndi says through her work, she hopes other people find what they are passionate about and encourages everyone to volunteer in some way.