Renee Vanselow – AuntieNae

[AuntieNaeModerator]

Thank you for reading my introductory post!

My name is Renee aka AuntieNae and I have been geocaching since February 2004.  It all started for me when I saw a friend out having fun on weekends so I asked him what he was doing.  He told me “oh, you will never find anything”.  I have to laugh because I basically bought the same GPS unit he had, printed a bunch of cache pages out and began while attending an Aquatics Conference in Charleston South Carolina.  It was an adventurous journey finding geocaches during down times of the conference with my friend TamCo who also is still geocaching.

I am a Recreation Supervisor with the City of Greenfield Parks and Recreation Department where I oversee the Aquatics, Playgrounds, Fitness, Arts, Dance and Safety programs.  We just did a major software transition so I also feel like I have become part of the IT staff.

For fun, I am the volunteer transport coordinator for Tailwaggers 911 Dog Rescue.  Approximately 5-6 times a year, I handle renting a large box truck, loading it with kennels and driving to Louisville where we meet up with the shelter staff from Georgia.  It is an overnight run so you could say I am putting my 24 hour geocaching run experience to good use.  A typical trip we bring back 50-90 dogs from the kill shelter to foster and adoptive homes here in Wisconsin.

Geocaching for me is about the people and places I have met along the way.  I feel I have a good circle of friends that I met all because of this common interest.  I definitely know I have been to and seen things I would never have experienced if it was not for geocaching.  How many non-geocaching friends aka muggles do you have who actively review a map before going on a vacation to scout potential geocache finds?

I have been the Wisconsin Geocaching Association Board since 2008, having now served 8 years as the Treasurer.  It has been a fun experience not only because of the different BOD members I have served with along the way but also the many members I have had the opportunity to meet.  We have grown the whole WGA brand from just t-shirts sold at the campout to a full line of merchandise sold at every WGA event.  I started literally with a paper chart to track daily sales which were strictly cash or check to now currently running PayPal store which includes credit cards and sales reports.  Our merchandise line has included so many more things as well.  Our merchandise sales are the financial life blood for our organization helping to fund the events, CITO’s sponsored and organizational operational expenses.

2016 was quite the year of change for me personally but I hung in there thanks to the support of my other BOD members.  I am now the single mom to 2 beautiful Labrador retrievers aka “The Labby Girls”, Maggie and Sandy.  We are still living in Waukesha and are currently surviving a few home renovation projects.  Actually, as I am typing this, our flooring is being replaced under our feet.

If you have attended any WGA event the past several years, I have been the face behind the store.  We have some fun plans in the works for 2017 that I am hoping I can continue as your Treasurer.

[AuntieNaeModerator]

At the Gifted Snowbuster Geo-Event last evening, I was asked a few questions that I thought I should perhaps share the answers here for everyone.

I am an American Red Cross certified Babysitters Instructor Trainer, Water Safety Instructor, Lifeguard Instructor and Lifeguard.  I am also an American Heart Association certified BLS for Healthcare Providers and Heart Saver CPR/AED/ First-Aid Instructor.

I hold the CPRP, Certified Park and Recreation Professional designation by the National Recreation and Park Association.  It basically means I met the requirements – educational and experience and participate in continuing education to stay current in my field.

I am a member of the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association where I am currently serving as the Aquatic Section Board Chair for 2017.  We have a number of duties that include keeping tabs on the changes with the American Red Cross Lifeguard and Water Safety programs, State Codes related to the operations of swimming facilities, planning and conducting technical workshops to allow members to keep current with aquatic facility operations, and bringing in speakers for our annual conference in November.  On Friday, January 6, I hosted at Greenfield High School, the WPRA Aquatic Section training workshop that featured Pete DeQuincy from California.  We brought in a national speaker who conducted this day long training to basically train the trainer for Lifeguard Instructors across the state.  A huge majority of our planning work with the Aquatic Section is happening now and my role is to basically drive the bus to keep everyone on track.  Our work winds down right about the time our duties wind up with WGA.

I am also a member of the AOAP, Association of Aquatic Professionals and try to attend their annual conference which is something I do on my own as my city does not fund training out of state.

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