When we first met Dave Sansone, the February Volunteer of the Month, we were so taken by his kind spirit, eagerness to learn, and enthusiasm to support the work of the museum. Dave first trained as part of our newly formed Gallery Attendant team. He learned about the 50% of the Story: Women Expressing Creativity exhibit and practiced different ways to engage guests of all ages and interests in the space. He supported the museum during our grand reopening and was instrumental in defining and perfecting this new volunteer role.
Dave has had so many positive experiences in the 50% exhibit:
“I have an ‘ahhh’ experience almost every time I work at the museum. One of the best was when I had a party of three come into the gallery. There were two ladies from Venezuela and one gentleman from France. We spent an hour together doing a translation train. I discussed the art with one of the ladies and she would translate it to the second lady in Spanish. The second lady would then translate to the gentleman in French. By the time they left, it was like we were all old friends.”
In addition to having the opportunity to engage with local history, Dave greatly enjoys connecting with guests and museum staff, “Retirement is nice, but you do lose a lot of the people contact.” In addition to his time in the 50% exhibit, Dave also leads our “CREATEing in Colorado Springs” guided tour for visiting groups, and takes on shifts at the front desk. As he’s learned more and more about the museum and local history, he has grown most fond of the COS@150 exhibit, “There is just so much to learn and explore in that exhibit.”
In addition to his volunteer work, Dave enjoys traveling often with his wife, collecting gems and minerals, hiking and reading, “You will rarely find me without a book.” He and his wife have two children, one who lives in Michigan and one in California. We are so fortunate to work with Dave and want to congratulate him!