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by Your PNI•HCM Team on November 11, 2025
Search any community and you'll find rising stars. In Baltimore, none shone brighter than Cindy Lam, a PNI•HCM Sales Consultant and philanthropist on the rise who was recognized by Living Classrooms for her immense contributions to her community – and who rose to the occasion to give back.
Living Classrooms: Empowering Through Education & Opportunity
The Living Classrooms Foundation is a non-profit on a mission to disrupt the cycle of poverty by providing hands-on education, workforce development, and health and wellness programs.
With a focus on experiential learning and job-readiness training, Living Classrooms empowers youth and adults in historically underserved communities across Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Their innovative programming transforms lives by creating access to opportunities — equipping individuals with the tools they need to succeed and thrive.
Aligned with their missions of mentorship and empowerment, Living Classrooms identifies Rising Stars every year to aid in spreading awareness and fundraising. That's where our very own Cindy Lam, a PNI•HCM Sales Consultant and community superstar, comes in.
What Makes a Living Classrooms Rising Star?
Living Classrooms Rising Stars are people under 40 years old who demonstrate promise in their industry and community. They are future philanthropists, already innovating and advancing socially and professionally.
For Cindy Lam, the journey to Rising Stardom started aboard the skipjack Sigsby, Living Classrooms Baltimore's historic sailing vessel, during the organization's Martime Magic event. There, she met Tracy Baskerville, a Living Classrooms Development Officer and former Rising Star in her own right.
"I told Tracy how I've always had a soft spot for nonprofits and I have done multiple fundraising projects for different non-profits throughout the years, including dance workshops that raised money for local causes and being part of a non-profit that helped build schools for kids in third-world countries," said Cindy Lam, 2025 Living Classrooms Rising Star & PNI•HCM Sales Consultant. "When Tracy nominated me as a Rising Star this year, I was very pleasantly surprised."
Cindy's fundraising experience and passion for community outreach would be valuable assets during her tenure as a Rising Star. She was asked to raise $3,000 for Living Classrooms – and she knew just how to do it.
Raising a Glass – & $3,000 – for a Great Cause
While fundrasing, Cindy's goal was clear: Spread awareness for Living Classrooms' mission to as many people as possible. How? By tapping into the community that made her a Rising Star in the first place.
"I decided to do what I feel like I do best: Get out intot he networking community and partner up with a few different local groups," Cindy shared. "I was thrilled to partner with Shulman Rogers for our Community on Tap event that raised $800 for Living Classrooms. I also got to work with Ink + Numbers of Baltimore to fundraise through event tickets and raffles. There was even a full-circle moment with LinkedIn Local Baltimore, who helped me host a Martime Magic event of my own to benefit Living Classrooms."
"Bringing people together in a fun, friendly setting to support a meaningful cause is what community engagement is all about. I'm excited to continue sharing Living Classrooms' mission to provide hands-on education and workforce development opportunities that make a real difference.”
At PNI•HCM, we believe community impact starts with connection – and we’re grateful to everyone who came out to help make a difference and support Cindy, whom we're incredibly proud of. Here’s to more opportunities to give back, together!
Support Living Classrooms
Living Classrooms believes you should "learn by doing." So, what can you do to support their mission? Cindy recommends touring their beautiful Baltimore facility, which features a museum and art gallery, or renting their event space to follow in her footsteps and foster community and outreach in your area.
Visit this link to contribute to Cindy Lam's Rising Star Fundraising Campaign for Living Classrooms.
About PNI•HCM
PNI•HCM is an award-winning provider of Human Capital Management (HCM) and HR-related software, best-in-industry partnerships, and unmatched customer support that is committed to creating the experience employees deserve. With solutions for everything from time tracking, payroll, and benefits enrollment to tax compliance, hiring and onboarding, and retirement, we take time-consuming back office tasks off your plate so you can focus on what matters: creating the experiences your employees deserve. With a single login, we'll help you manage your business people operations from recruitment to retirement, and everything in between.
If you're looking to simplify your business operations, our experienced team can help. Visit our website to learn more about the exceptional breadth of services we offer.
