Housing Unlimited Volunteer Spotlight: Jeff Rich

(from L to R) Jeff Rich, Jeremy (21), Joshua (25), and Jonathan (19)

With each newsletter, Housing Unlimited enjoys introducing you to a member of our great staff who is working behind the curtain to improve the lives of our tenants in mental health recovery. Equally as important to HUI’s mission are the volunteers who generously donate their time to support our mission.

This month, we highlight a new volunteer, Jeff Rich. Originally from Baltimore, MD, Jeff moved to Rockville with his family (including a younger sister) at age four and grew up just 10-15 minutes from HUI's current office.

Jeff was first introduced to HUI when, as a parent, he and his 7th grade son participated in his religious school’s “giving back” unit which was started by HUI’s CEO, Abe Schuchman, and included a visit to HUI's office.  Jeff and the school children learned about HUI’s mission and met a tenant who made a very moving speech about how Housing Unlimited helped and impacted his life. Jeff writes  “that visit greatly affected me.”

As with life, many things come back around and when Jeff recently retired, he reached out to HUI and asked if there were any volunteer opportunities. With a professional background in accounting, Jeff now offers his support to HUI on an array of matters including asset management, cash flow loan analysis, and other financial management tasks.

Jeff loves to travel and has been to 20 countries and all 50 states except for Alaska and Arkansas.   Jeff enjoys sampling foods from different cultures and does not shy away from trying “adventurous dishes.”

Jeff is a major cheerleader for all things sports, especially the local DC teams and the Maryland Terps.  He adds, "One of my kids goes to the University of Florida.   The Florida men's basketball team won the NCAA championship this year so of course I have to root for them!"   When not on the field or the courts cheering for his teams, Jeff gets his sports fix by playing fantasy baseball and football.

As a fan of the movies and theater, Jeff can often be found at a LIVE performance of Les Misérables (five-time groupie) or waiting in line for the opening night of a new film.

Jeff says he “enjoys meeting many of the office staff and getting to know them. It's great to be around folks who have such a commitment to Housing Unlimited's mission!”

And we must say, it’s wonderful to have such a spirited person in the office who always has a smile!