Volunteer Spotlight: Jen Acheson
Even without the highly successful marketing trademark pink fur, tall ears, sunglasses, blue and black striped flip flops, and bass drum, we recognize our own version of the endearing rabbit who keeps going and going….
Jennifer Acheson does, indeed, keep going and going, serving in countless important volunteer roles for SUM. Her many talents enable her to switch seamlessly, not just from one committee to another but from one chair position to another. Most recently, Jen resigned as Chair of the Church Council and has become Finance Chair. Her degree in Finance and her varied positions in the world of finance include her continued work as a bookkeeper for small businesses and seniors, a company she created in 2013.
Jen and Rick Acheson met during Rick’s senior year at the United States Naval Academy while Jen was in school in northern Virginia. She loves to tell this story:
“I was at a bar in Annapolis with my girlfriend and her sister on a Friday night in November 1987. I found out later that Rick had gotten stood up that night, so he ended up at the same bar with some of his academy buddies. He asked me to dance, and I said, ‘No, I’m sorry, I’m watching the purses…’ My friends were dancing at the time. Rick suggested that his two academy friends could watch the purses, and I said something snarky like, ‘Just because they have short hair doesn’t mean I can trust them!’ Thankfully, Rick was not put off. We chatted. Two songs later, I decided to let his friends watch the purses. The rest is history. We got married in the USNA chapel exactly two years later, on the same exact weekend we had met.”
Jen and Rick came to Simsbury in 1997 after moving around with the Navy for a number of years. Jen grew up on a small farm in Illinois about an hour northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents, Art and Bev Schuette have also come to Simsbury and now live on the lower level of Rick and Jen’s home in Windsor. The Schuettes are dedicated 9:00 SUM church service attendees.
The Acheson’s two daughters, Katie and Melissa, were regular attendees in our church but now have grown up and moved away. Katie and her husband, Gavin, live in Northern Michigan, and Melissa and her boyfriend, Sal, live in Philadelphia. Pastor Mel Kawakami was the inspiration for the family to join SUM, as was the draw of the bell choir for Jen.
In addition to her passion for the bell choir, Jen plays the carillon, is a student of yoga, enjoys walking and running, jigsaw puzzles, and binge-watching mysteries and crime shows. She will admit that her involvement with so many facets of our church is a priority that takes up most of her time and energy.
Jen has taught Sunday School and has been a Church School Shepherd. She chaired SPR after first serving on the committee. Three years ago, she began her role as Church Council Chair but has now transitioned to Finance Chair and lead for the Accessibility Project.
Volunteerism comes naturally to her. She grew up participating with her parents and grandparents, serving their church and community in Illinois. Her love of and talent for music “feeds my soul,” she said, along with her involvement in church small committee groups that enable her to bond closely with many people in the church community.
While her solid childhood experience gave her an appreciation for deep involvement in all parts of her church, it is Rick’s support and his own active participation in our church that has made her energizer bunny status possible.
-Karen Matheson