originally posted on 1/3/2020
The end of the twenty-teens brings the year of better vision — 2020. The new decade provides an excellent opportunity to both look back and look forward. My initial year as ACE president was a wonderfully fulfilling experience that included making new friends and enjoying unique and fun opportunities. I repeat myself often in sharing my thought that when I first volunteered for ACE more than 20 years ago, it was never in my wildest imagination that I would be president of the club. When I look back, I will admit it was a somewhat scary first step to call my regional representative and offer to help. I took that action for the same selfish reason I volunteer today. I personally find it very satisfying to bring a smile to faces with the fun experiences hosted by ACE. I feel more a part of a club by being an active participant in it.
ACE achieves success only with the efforts of the individual members who work for it. While one can comfortably sit back and enjoy the latest RollerCoaster! magazine and feel their membership is beneficial, an active ACEer is a member engaged in the community. I think the rewards are greatly expanded when an ACEer becomes active, whether it’s attending or volunteering at events, submitting content for our media efforts or just recommending and recruiting new members. It’s through volunteering that one feels like a significant part of the club’s achievements. I have always felt privileged to be able to work in the capacities and positions I’ve held in the organization.
I feel that volunteering for ACE puts out a personal welcome to get to know more people. I am always reminded at events that while I may not remember everyone’s name, they all know mine or at least my position in the club. Volunteering is the backbone of the organization. Even more so, I think it creates a fantastically personal sense of ownership in the club. I hope we’ve gotten better at nurturing new volunteers and encouraging them to reach out to a regional representative or director who leads the area of the club they’re interested in, whether it’s events, preservation, communications, publications or something else. With dedicated volunteers enthusiastic for these areas of interest, ACE has become a club wonderfully diverse in ideas and activities.
When I look toward the future, I want to recognize our valuable volunteers along with the dedication of individual members. Everyone in the club has chosen to personally become a part of the ACE community, and I want to celebrate that decision. I would like to be better in recognizing the personal achievements of individual ACE members. And I would also like to thank the treasured volunteers whose actions keep this train on the tracks. Most of all, I want every ACEer to both be proud and have fun by being an active part of ACE. Thank you for being a member!
— Robert Ulrich
ACE President
rulrich@aceonline.org
@#$%&!
#ACENews