originally posted on 9/6/2019
Thankful for Volunteers
ACE is a unique enthusiast club in a number of ways, and one is that it is an all-volunteer club. With this structure, I think we are a stronger organization. I’ve found that one of the most personally rewarding parts of volunteering for the club is getting to interact with people who are as enthusiastic as I am. Sometimes their passion surprises me. Until I joined a social club, whether it was about trains or coasters, I thought I was one of just a few crazy people. By joining ACE I found that there were others as interested in coasters as I was, and I was thankful that ACE was such a welcoming community.
But that was just as a member. I volunteered to do more for ACE just because I thought it would be fun to introduce people to some of the unique parks in the South. I had previously volunteered as a car host for the National Railway Historical Society on rail fan trips on the Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific and New Georgia railroads, but that limited me to just being polite and following the rules. When I offered to host an ACE event at a park, I found out that I could design and plan what I liked to do and hoped others enjoyed it just as much. I was delighted that people actually decided to come! I felt empowered by the club to exceed expectations for a small regional event and tried to do that every time, first as an assistant and then regional representative.
Now, as president, I am so thankful to the many other volunteers who are dedicated to their duties in ACE, whatever they may be. Whether it’s hosting regional events, communicating through social media, editing documents, recruiting by handing out “Join ACE” cards or just being nice to other members in attendance — these are the people who are the backbone of the community. As an all-volunteer organization, one of the challenges is finding people to take ownership of a position’s responsibilities and, as Nike says, “just do it.”
And most of our volunteers do their jobs so well it may be transparent to others. I am among the many who should probably thank these people more often. Yet sometimes a volunteer will be overwhelmed or will underperform at their job and it affects all of us. Luckily another ACEer is usually available and ready to lend a hand. While I am always concerned when a volunteer “drops off the map,” the worst days are those when someone says they offered to volunteer but no one got back in touch. I feel personally responsible for the failure of the club toward this member.
If you’ve never volunteered, let me tell you there are rewards. You get to meet and know a lot of people in many different ways. And this isn’t just limited to ACEers. Park executives, news reporters and many others work with ACE volunteers regularly. At the end of a day, there’s a satisfaction to have done something that touches so many people who are usually very kind and thankful for the opportunity to participate. I’ve had so many “thank yous” that I am prouder about that than the coaster credit count.
As many say, you come to ACE for the coasters, but you stay for the friends. If you want to meet more future friends, I encourage you to volunteer for a committee or any other position. The club will be glad to have you, and you’ll be glad to have taken that first, sometimes anxious, step.
Robert Ulrich
ACE President
rulrich@aceonline.org
@#$%&!
#ACENews