RED LAKE – Renee Bausch was going about her day earlier this summer when she received a phone call asking about her work as a coach.
Bausch went about giving that information, but she was curious as to why the person on the other end needed this information.
As it turned out, the Red Lake resident was one of the winners of this year’s Ontario Coaching Excellence Award.
“When I found out that out, I was so thrilled and so honoured,” Bausch said. “It was definitely a nice surprise.”
Bausch officially received her award last month at the Rogers Centre in Toronto from Tourism, Culture and Sport Minister Neil Lumsden.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind trip for my husband (Darrin) and I but we were quite impressed by everything, especially being in the VIP lounge for a Toronto Blue Jays game,” Bausch said.
“In my head, I felt like this wasn’t just about me. It’s about my community, which has made me who I am. We’ve grown a lot together through the parent volunteers, the coaches and of course the athletes. So for me, that’s who the award should really go to because we all work together to make the group a big success.”
Bausch was recognized for her work with the Mat Cats Gymnastics Club, which she’s been involved with for the last five years.
However, she’s done a lot more in Red Lake since she arrived in the community with her husband 19 years ago.
Bausch has been involved with Red Lake Youth Soccer, been a lifeguard at the local swimming pool, taught cross country and ran a children’s entertainment series.
“Being in a small community, I’ve always been happy to help fill in the gaps where I can,” Bausch said.
“I had thought for a long time that was something that really started when I moved to Red Lake, but I recently took a look at some of my journals from when I was longer and I realized that I was basically on every possible committee that existed.
“I think part of my personality is just liking to keep busy and feeling like I have a purpose in all of the communities that I’ve been in.”
Bausch is planning to change up some of her volunteer work in the coming years, especially as her kids are moving into high school.
Although her roles might be different, her passion will remain the same.
“Even having one person doing a small task is huge,” Bausch said.
“I encourage anyone who’s thinking of helping out or just has some extra time on their hands to just help a group out or do anything. It’s a very great thing to do for your community.”
