What’s at the core of ACCA’s ability to meet community needs? Volunteerism. Almost every role connected to ACCA, providing furnishings, food, and rental assistance, is carried out by a volunteer. For the past 17 years, Homer Christensen has helped facilitate those outreaches. As treasurer, he made sure that incoming and outgoing funds were tracked for practical and legal purposes. This wasn’t just a desk job; this required an all-in commitment. Homer’s efforts were recognized at ACCA’s spring picnic, as wishes for his retirement were unanimously extended.
Pictured Left to Right: Nancy Hall and Isabel Ballivian joined long-time ACCA treasurer Homer Christensen at the annual ACCA Thanksgiving Service at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in November 2024.
Regarding his interactions with rental office staff, fellow volunteer Marie Markey noted that when a family was behind on rent, “many times a year, he [Homer] hand-delivers checks to landlords.” Another volunteer, Mary Lee Dispirito, agreed that Homer saved the day more than once by delivering a just-in-time payment to an eager apartment manager. Those examples were about outgoing funds. To secure funds for our organization, Homer collaborated with Jean Rackowski on the accounting for county grants. Jean mentioned Homer’s dedication and also that he was “friendly and easy to work with.” Technology specialist Nancy Walker concurred, “it was a joy to work with him.” She said the caliber of work he did was the backbone of ACCA’s financial operations.
It is important to remember that when Homer began as ACCA’s treasurer in 2008, the country’s financial bubble had just burst. More people found themselves in need of help. Consequently, ACCA’s role of getting and managing funds also escalated. Homer to the rescue! Norman Hicks said Homer “deserves a medal” for maintaining the finances, providing monthly reports and working with the auditors for nearly two decades. Cheers to Homer!