By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — Lynnae Miller said she likes “interactions” with the community through her new Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department role.
“For my type of personality, it’s been a breath of fresh air. I’m not stuck behind a computer all day,” said Miller. “I get to see people. I get to interact with people and also that just being able to use that creativity and come up with things.”
Miller started as the new Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department recreation director assistant on March 4. She replaced Heather Vogts, who left to take a job with the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory.
Miller was born and raised in Warsaw. After graduating from Warsaw Community High School, she worked in banking and insurance.
She opted to switch jobs as she “was looking for just something that I could make a career out of.”
A friend told her about the parks’ department position, which Miller called “the perfect fit” for her.
Miller’s tasks involve helping Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Director Stephanie Schaefer with planning, implementing and cleaning up after parks’ programs.
She does much with Imagination Stations, through which kids ages 3-7 do crafts, hear stories and more, centered around specific themes.
Miller said her four-year-old son Beckham influences her planning for those and other parks’ events. Her “mom mentality” has assisted “with even thinking about things in the future and also what works and what doesn’t work,” she said.
She enjoys decorating for events.
“I was supposed to go to design school for college, but it was very expensive, and I kind of panicked and did not go,” said Miller. “It’s nice to be able to use some of that creativity without having a degree.”
Schaefer said she wants Miller to “be a huge part of the planning process for 2025.” She said Miller’s helping with advertising parks’ events.
“She’s been a huge part in helping with the marketing, Facebook, trying to improve on it, so no matter where people are looking, they’re finding what’s going on,” said Schaefer.
Miller said she’s glad to make people happy through putting on parks’ events.
“Even at Imagination Station, there were two little boys (recently) that came up and gave me hugs,” she said. “Like that just made my heart happy.”
When Miller’s not at work, she spends time with her son, “going on adventures and walks and being outside,” she said. She also enjoys reading and shooting guns.
Miller reiterated her career change to the parks department has “been such a good change for me.”
“The first week I worked there, my cheek muscles hurt from smiling so much, but I hadn’t been smiling that much,” she said.
“If you love people, this is a great place to be,” said Schaefer.
