blue water woman--summer 2013

nonprofit executive
of the year
tracy willard, fort gratiot
S
A Calming
influence
by Shawn Starkey
Spend time with Tracy Willard – and her infectious, colorful giggle
– and you might find it odd that her favorite color is gray.
“It’s calming,” she said. “It’s what I’m all about, wanting to be calm
and peaceful and provide that for others.”
She co-founded Hunter Hospitality House to offer that kind of
respite to families of seriously ill patients at nearby Port Huron
Hospital.
Those efforts are among the reasons Willard is being honored as
2013 Blue Water Woman Nonprofit Executive of the Year.
“Tracy works tirelessly in getting the word out about Hunter
Hospitality House and to attain volunteers and donations,” wrote
volunteer Pamela Leslie in her nomination of Willard. “It has only
been opened over a year and it is so impressive.”
Willard, 45, of Fort Gratiot is executive director and vice president
of the board of directors for the organization she co-founded with her
husband, Jeff. The bed-and-breakfast-style home is named in memory
of their son, Hunter Eldon Willard, who was born two months
prematurely Dec. 7, 1991, and died 16 days later after spending time
in and out of the hospital. The idea for the hospitality house grew
from the Willards’ experience. It opened in 2011, on what would
have been Hunter’s 20th birthday.
Since then, 140 people have stayed at the home. But Willard
considers the community’s involvement her biggest accomplishment.
“So many people were willing to help us, even before we opened,
when it was just a plan,” she said. “The whole premise captured so
many people’s hearts.”
Willard’s community involvement goes beyond the hospitality
house. She is completing her third year on the board for the Port
Huron Town Hall Lecture Series; is founder and past president
of Woman’s Life Insurance Society Chapter 807 in Port Huron;
serves on the planning committee for the Community Services
Coordinating Body’s Community Resource Fair; is a member of the
Community Baby Shower Committee; and is active at Cornerstone
Church in Clyde Township.
“Your community is where it’s at,” said Willard, who graduated
from Port Huron High School and St. Clair County Community
College before attending Wayne State University.
When she takes time for herself, Willard enjoys going out for
sushi; playing Scrabble; watching “way too much TV,” especially
competition shows such as Shark Tank and Chopped; and spending
vacations with sons Garrett, 22; Cullen, 20; and Parker, 18.
Back at work, Willard hopes to continue growing Hunter
Hospitality House so she can spend more time with its guests.
“My favorite part is just being here sharing cookies and coffee with
a guest and listening as they tell their story,” she said.
Among those stories is that of an Ohio woman named Sharon,
who found herself at the hospitality house after her husband, a truck
driver, suffered a heart attack while driving through Port Huron.
“We were able to give her a place to stay, so she could be right at her
husband’s side,” Willard said.
Stories like those are the legacy for which Willard said she wants
Hunter to be remembered. “Every life is important, no matter how
long it lasts.”
8 summer 2013 BlueWaterWoman.com