Renee Vanselow – AuntieNae

[AuntieNae]

16 years, I can hardly believe February 2019 represents my 16^th anniversary since I began geocaching.  I had watched a friend geocaching on weekends with a group of friends having fun so I asked what he was doing.  I remember being on the plane to Charleston South Carolina a few days later telling another friend about it and how we should give it a try.  TamCo and I went on to find 20 some geocaches that week, learning how to work the GPSr while discovering parts of Charleston that the other conference attendees never saw because they never ventured beyond the hotel walls.

 

I am asked “so why do you geocache?” quite frequently and my answer has always been that it is about the places and people.  I have discovered so many places that I would have never known existed had it not been for geocaching AND I have made friends I probably would have never met had it not been for our time on the trails.

As a Recreation Supervisor for the City of Greenfield, I handle the Aquatics, Playgrounds, Fitness, Enrichment, Dance and Safety programs.  It has been a fun run of growing staff and programs, keeping up with certifications, following trends, and utilizing facilities between 2 school districts and our city sites. 

Over the years, I have taught many geocaching educational seminars.  For the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association, I led a day long pre-conference session on geocaching focused towards parks staff.  For the Tri-State Tourism council, I taught a 2 hour introduction to geocaching and how it can grow tourism session.  And, this April 2019, I have been asked to speak at the Ice Age Trail Alliance’s annual conference regarding their ColdCache program as it relates to our EarthCaches.

I feel I have brought many things to the WGA BOD over the years and perhaps the key thing has been financial stability.  I do not know how many people realize that we have sustained the organization and the many expenses for our operations by the merchandise sales.  I have preferred to be a more ‘behind the scenes” member because I found what I felt was an important niche and could help support others with their fun ideas as they come on and off the board.  I always wonder if people off the BOD have realized this. 

I have many local geocachers to thank for their role in keeping probably what is one of the longest running Wisconsin Geocaching events going  which is the Waukesha Winter JanBoree.  This January 2019 was the 15^th year.  My involvement with the JanBoree began when I was speaking about geocaching to my fellow Park & Recreation professionals. 

 

Why am I asking to stay on the BOD?  I feel I have just scratched the surface with merchandise sales!  I have more new and fun ideas that I would love the opportunity to bring to 2019.  I also feel that I have brought a sense of history as to past practices and suggestions.   2018 was a rough year for me medically but I am looking forward to a stronger 2019!  We have a good working BOD currently, quite unlike some previous years, so I would like to continue to contribute.

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