Hunter Hospitality House
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Hunter Hospitality House: My Perspective

7/19/2023

 
By Cullen Willard
PictureCullen, Tracy, and Jeff Willard at the recent Tee It Up to Beat Cancer Fundraiser.
​Hi! I’m Cullen Willard, son of Jeff and Tracy Willard, the co-founders of Hunter Hospitality House.

Back when I was a teenager, I remember my parents starting to have conversations about this wild idea they had. It was a notion they had already been thinking about for years, but it was only just coming to my attention. They were calling it “Hunter House,” named for my older brother Hunter, who I never met because he passed in infancy. It was a place where new moms could stay right next to the hospital while their newborns were kept in intensive care, and other people could stay there too if their family member or friend was in the hospital, or if they were going back and forth for their own hospital treatment. It would be a charity organization, and staying there would be totally free. It sounded interesting, though I didn’t really understand the function at the time. I had very little experience with hospitals.

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Also, I was surprised to hear my parents talking about taking on something so different, and so ambitious. My dad had been a middle school math teacher as long as I could remember, and my mom had for the most part been a stay-at-home mom, later doing part-time work in babysitting and sales to help make ends meet. I was very accustomed to the routine of our lives. Work and dress shirts and ties and afterschool activities and biweekly paychecks to pay for the groceries were normal. The idea of them starting their own organization was creative and risky and almost out of character for my very normal parents, but they were excited and passionate about something together, which was fun to see.

As time passed, things became more realized. My parents were reading books called things like “Starting a 501(C)(3) For Dummies,” and the conversation shifted from “What do you think about this idea?” to plans and schedules, and funding. I remember one evening when I was in high school, sitting in the living room with my girlfriend (now wife) watching TV, and my parents coming in to ask if we had any ideas for a logo for Hunter Hospitality House. I fancied myself an artist, so I grabbed a piece of computer paper and a pencil and doodled a prototype of a big block letter H where the negative space was a window and a door, adding a little roof and a chimney on top. Their work continued, and I wasn’t aware of everything that went on in the background, but when I was away for my first semester of college, Hunter Hospitality House opened its doors.

When I went home for breaks from school, I got to see a lot of the early progress with the organization, and I was pleased to find out that my parents, after years of hobnobbing with all of the folks at church and school and extracurricular activities, had received an outpouring of support from the local community. All of the childhood hours of sitting in church lobbies and gymnasiums waiting for my mom to finish a conversation with a new friend had paid off, because it seemed like my parents knew everyone in town, and the combination of a good cause and those friendly relationships had earned them their dream. They were really doing it.

In the years that followed, my wife and I would move out of state and start a family of our own, and I was learning a lot about the way the world works. I spent a lot of time in hospitals before the birth of my son, and I learned that the spouse of a patient doesn’t get a place to stay at the hospital. They’ll wheel a little chair into the room for you to sleep in if they have a spare, but if you aren’t the one paying a hospital bill, you’re essentially in the way. When the day arrived, our baby was born pretty small, and with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck just like his daddy. We were so worried about the possibility of him having to stay in the NICU, or that my wife’s hospital stay would end and we would have to leave him there, dozens of miles from our home. There was no Hunter Hospitality House for us out there, and we would have been out of luck.

When he was older our son would come down with pneumonia, and my wife would get to experience sleeping in a hospital chair while our son recovered in his strange, sterile crib/cage. We were there for days, with no place to shower or eat or have any respite from that horrible room. And ultimately, we were the lucky ones. We had friends whose babies were born prematurely and stayed in the NICU for weeks, where there was no option to suffer through it and be with them. Every time I was faced with another hospital visit, I was reminded of the great work my parents were doing back in my hometown.

My daughter was born near the beginning of the pandemic, which meant canceled flights and no parents in town to help us during those first weeks of her life. No one got to visit us in the hospital, including our son, who was at home with my brother-in-law. Thankfully he lived nearby because if we didn’t have someone local to babysit our son, that would have meant I needed to stay home and watch him, missing the birth of my daughter, and leaving my wife to fend for herself through sleepless nights and a difficult delivery. Meanwhile in Port Huron, Hunter Hospitality House had to cease operation along with most other businesses and organizations, which was the correct decision at the time, but it left the local community without that important asset.

After my daughter was born, we were planning to move back to Michigan as soon as we felt like it was safe to travel again. When she was about a year old, my dad reached out to let me know that an assistant manager position was being created at Hunter Hospitality House. He was being stretched too thin as the manager, and the organization was growing with the introduction of the new Family House location. He told me that if I happened to move back soon, I could apply for the job, but the position was needed urgently and would not be held for me once it was created. I had already left my previous job to be a stay-at-home dad, with daycare being much less affordable now that we had two kids. Around this time my wife decided that she needed to do something else for work, and our landlords raised our rent, and it became clear that the timing was all coming together. We needed to move, we needed new jobs, I had a job offer back home, and the time was now. We took a cross-country road trip, and we were back in Port Huron, and I would finally get a closer look at the organization my parents had spent the past 10 years working on.


Back in 1991 when my brother Hunter was born, he needed to stay in the Port Huron Hospital after my mom’s hospital stay had ended, and he was in and out of the hospital until he passed a short time later. This meant a lot of driving back and forth for my parents, who lived about half an hour outside of town and were exhausted and sleep-deprived from the experience. We weren’t really talking about “Drowsy Driving” in the ’90s, but it’s now widely considered to be more dangerous than texting or other distracted driving. They needed help, and they didn’t receive it.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done to make the world a better place, and we can’t always rely on our elected officials or our for-profit businesses to make it happen. This is the role of non-profit organizations in our society. They pick up the slack that isn’t profitable for other people to help with, and they draw upon the generosity of our community to do it. It makes me so proud of my parents that they stepped away from their normal lives and took it upon themselves to organize a place for people to receive the help they need, that they themselves needed 30 years ago and didn’t have. It’s an honor for me to work for Hunter Hospitality House and continue this legacy that my parents began.

Join Our Gardening Club!

5/16/2023

 
Enjoy some time outside while improving the beauty of our community at our HHH locations! Club members will weed, thin, transplant, and plant donated flowers or bulbs. Thank you for considering being a part of our fun new group of volunteers!
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A Keepsake of Port Huron History Hangs at HHH

3/27/2023

 
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​In 2019, we asked the community to fall in love with our loo. 
You see, we were completing a home improvement project at our 1010 Lincoln Avenue location, and couldn’t wait to show everyone.  A screened in porch area at the home had been converted into an accessible full bathroom, which was a crucial improvement.  Not only was it necessary, but the project turned out beautiful, too.
As the completion date approached Valentine’s Day, we invited the public to an open house on February 14 which we called, “In Love with the Loo.”
All these years later, a memento from that special event still decorates the bathroom—a piece of art designed by longtime Hunter Hospitality House volunteer and supporter Paul Wilson, and filled in with chalk by many of the visitors to the open house.  As many know, the subject of that artwork is Port Huron’s famed Pere Marquette Railroad Bridge, a beloved landmark currently undergoing demolition.  
Today, I just want to thank Paul Wilson for his vision for the community artwork he designed, facilitated, and finished, giving Hunter Hospitality House a piece of history for us to enjoy forever. 

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Dollar for Dollar Match on New Monthly Donations!

10/28/2022

 
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How cool is this?! A generous, annonymous donor, is matching dollar-for-dollar the first month’s donation on all new monthly donations received by January 31, up to $1000!
You can’t beat the peace of mind that comes from budgeting. Knowing you can expect enough incoming funds to cover 
the outgoing bills allows you to know how much is available for unexpected circumstances. The same is true for a 
nonprofit organization, and gifts of monthly donors make that possible.
Lorraine, a long-time monthly donor, once told us, “Years ago, as my husband underwent surgery and cancer treatments 
at Harper/Karmanos in Detroit, we paid to stay in the “hospital hotel" as the back-and-forth travel became too hard on 
him. How I would have loved an HHH at that time...a home away from home! It is my pleasure to donate a bit each month 
to help keep these homes open for others in their time of need! They are treasures!”
Members of the Hunter Hospitality House monthly donor team receive a monthly Impact Report by email, detailing how 
many guests we’ve had, where they came from, and their circumstances. While we keep our guests’ names confidential, 
this insider information assures donors their gifts are making a difference.
Monthly donors can send checks through the mail, arrange payments through a “bill pay” feature offered by most 
financial institutions, or donate regularly through their credit card. Learn more about monthly donating online 
at hunterhospitalityhouse.com/donate or contact us directly at 810-824-3679.

Guest Blog--Assistant Manager Cullen Willard

10/6/2022

 
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Hi! I’m Cullen Willard, the Assistant Manager of Hunter Hospitality House. After working here for over a year, I’ve been asked to reflect on that time and my experience with the organization.
 
I didn’t know that working for a non-profit was something I would find so much fulfillment in, but I’m really enjoying it. There’s happiness in the feeling of helping people for a living and not asking anything from them in return. It feels good knowing that the work that we do is improving people’s lives in a meaningful way.
 
Serving people who are coming back and forth from the hospital can be a lot to take in. In registering someone to stay at Hunter Hospitality House, they will often talk at length about what brought them to us. For some people it’s the birth of a new baby, which is joyful and wonderful but also scary and stressful. For other people their cancer treatment is finally coming to an end, which is victorious and powerful, but they are pained and weakened by the treatment. Some people stay with us when their loved one is injured or sick, and after a few days that person makes a full recovery. Some people stay with us when they know that their loved one is going to die and there’s nothing they can do. Sometimes a person’s stay with us ends because they themselves are moving into end-of-life hospice care.
 
Even with the emotional toll that type of conversation can take, it feels good to lend an ear to someone, as a friendly stranger, and to allow someone to vent their feelings to you without fear of judgment. I try to make myself available for that as much as I can, as does everyone who works at Hunter Hospitality House, including our volunteers.
 
Our volunteers are amazing, and it would be impossible for us to do what we do without their hard work. I believe in the goodness of people, and no one exemplifies that kindness and generosity like our volunteers. Between cleaning, working on projects, and even just talking pleasantly with our guests, they give of their time and energy because they believe in helping people and they believe in the mission of Hunter Hospitality House.
 
Working for my parents has been fun! That may sound like a scary idea, and it certainly could be, but my parents care so deeply about this organization and have so much passion for the mission, and that care and direct involvement make things feel less like an employee-employer relationship and more like a group effort. I have all the guidance that I need in navigating new responsibilities, but it doesn’t feel like I’m taking orders.
 
Every day brings something new to do. Some days are filled with phone calls and registrations, and I’ll spend a lot of time interacting with guests. Other days we get no calls at all, and my job could consist of anything from house and lawn maintenance, to writing administrative documents, to editing promotional videos, to screen printing t-shirts for guests, to writing a blog post for the website. There’s a lot of variety in what my job entails, which is exciting.

​Working at Hunter Hospitality House has been an amazing opportunity for me, and I hope to continue working here for a very long time. 

Why I Love the Volunteer Recruitment Fair

9/21/2022

 
The greatest success we'll know is helping others succeed & grow. ~Gregory Scott Reid
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One of my favorite annual community events is right around the corner--the Volunteer Recruitment Fair.  This event will be held at the St. Clair County Community College Welcome Center, on the corner of Glenwood & Erie Street in Port Huron, on September 30, 2022.  Open-house style, the public is welcome to come anytime between 10am and 2pm.  

I've been blessed to be a part of the committee putting the Volunteer Recruitment Fair together since its inception in 2017.  

So, What Is a Volunteer Recruitment Fair, Anyway?

The Volunteer Recruitment Fair brings together over 20 nonprofits in our area, serving a wide range of interests.  So far, the following local agencies have signed up to participate.

Spero Pregnancy Center
Port Huron Museum
Woman's Life Insurance Society
Camp Cavell Conservancy
McLaren Hospice, Port Huron
Harbor Impact Ministries
Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan
Visiting Nurse Association & Blue Water Hospice
Enter Stage Right
McMorran Place
Blue Water Safe Horizons
Lake Huron Foundation Volunteer Organization
Bridge Builders Counseling & Mentoring
Hunter Hospitality House, Inc.
Blankets With Care
Port Huron Civic Theatre
A Beautiful Me
Healing Hearts Home Women’s Ministry
Blue Water Developmental Housing
United Way of St. Clair County
Council on Aging, Inc., Serving St. Clair County

Having so many participants gives people who are interested in volunteering a chance to talk to several organizations in one, efficient venue, rather than having to meet one on one with each charity.  Maybe you've always wanted to know about Bridge Builders Counseling and Mentoring, for example, but you're also curious about Woman's Life and Hunter Hospitality House.  Instead of setting appointments with each organization, you just come to the Volunteer Fair and visit each of their tables.  

Easy Peasy!

See You Soon!

So, whether you're interest in learning more about Hunter Hospitality House one of the other organizations involved, I can't wait to see you on September 30. In the meantime, here's some pictures from our last Volunteer Recruitment Fair to enjoy!




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Guest Blogger:  Anna Gerardy, Summer Intern

8/11/2022

 
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We all have been blessed at Hunter Hospitality House to have Anna Gerardy as a summer intern, and wish her the best as she leaves us to return to Grand Valley State University.  We'll miss you, Anna!  

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Hello All! I am Anna Gerardy, a sophomore at Grand Valley State University and from Yale. At Grand Valley, I am studying accounting and public and nonprofit administration and involved in SLAM (Students Leaving A Mark), a club that volunteers in the area and on an annual week long service trip. Going into this summer, I felt I needed some more experience in the nonprofit world, rather than the classroom, and was lucky enough to have stumbled upon Tracy and the Hunter Hospitality House. 
At the beginning of May, I had no clue what Hunter Hospitality House was, but a family friend connected me with the executive director to set up a lunch to talk about the nonprofit world. By the end of that lunch I was in awe of the mission and hard work that has gone into creating and upholding HHH, and was ready to jump on board and help in any way I can. As I am in the final day of my internship, I cannot be more thankful to have been with such a special nonprofit. 


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Anna's first day at HHH on May 24, 2022.  Little did she know what she was getting into!
Throughout my schooling, I have never had the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the nonprofit world, and Tracy went above and beyond in showing me the ropes and introducing me to countless members of the community. To be involved in the nonprofit world takes a special person, and every staff member, board member, and volunteer with HHH has been special and kind beyond measure. It is apparent that Tracy and Jeff have put their heart and soul into HHH. 

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In June, Anna had the opportunity to work on preparing the HHH newsletters for mailing with our staff and some volunteers from Target.
​When asked to write this blog, Tracy asked if I would highlight my experience throughout the summer. Racking my brain for ideas, there was truly not one bad word I could say about my experience. Cullen, Tracy, Jeff, and Toni, are a great team with brilliant ideas who are always brainstorming the next way to make HHH more hospitable for guests, the website more user friendly, ways to beautify the yard, and the list could go on and on. Every volunteer I have met has always had a smile on their face and are willing to help in any way possible. What I and not many people always realize, is some nonprofits are only run on donations and grants, like HHH. This makes it that much more difficult to keep a nonprofit running, yet the wonderful donors of HHH continue to help fund the vision Tracy and Jeff have. Though those who are reading this might not see  the work that goes on day in and day out can be exasperating, yet it is always done with a smile on their face and an eagerness to do so. Though my time is over at HHH, I will forever be grateful for working with such a selfless and kind establishment, and will be around next summer to help whenever I can. Thank you to all who have donated their time, money, and prayers to HHH, as you are the reason thousands of people have been lucky enough to have a place of rest and revilitilization while dealing with crises.
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Anna even took our little porch decoration home to paint, giving this turtle a much needed facelift!

For Weary Travelers, Yes...And...

6/28/2022

 

Port Huron Residents Need HHH, Too!

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​Born and raised in Port Huron, I’m completely sold out for this city. No matter how great our visits have been to amazing places across the country and into Canada, my husband and I both agree—there’s no place like home.
Hunter Hospitality House is a vital service to offer patients and caregivers traveling to Port Huron because of a medical situation. I also believe it’s an imperative organization for the residents of our town, too. 
Let me explain.
Hunter Hospitality House is nonprofit organization providing free lodging right across the street from the hospitals in Port Huron for people with a hospitalized loved one or treatment of their own for things like cancer and wound care.  We also accommodate people who need a place to stay the night before a surgery or medical procedure, and those who have loved ones in other medical facilities like Marwood, Regency, and the Blue Water Hospice Home.
Hunter Hospitality House has three locations, including two bed & breakfast style homes specifically for adults, and one Family House, where a family with children giving them the privacy needed.
We’ve been compared to a Ronald McDonald House, but honestly, I think we’re even better because your hospitalized loved one doesn’t have to be a child for you to qualify to stay at Hunter Hospitality House.  Also, there is never a charge to you or your insurance company, and there is not an income or distance requirement.
I mention that there’s not a distance requirement because I really want to emphasize the importance of Hunter Hospitality House for residents of our county and even the city of Port Huron.
We know that when someone you love is critically ill, or near death, you want to be right there with them in the hospital.  But taking care of your own needs, like getting a shower, a quick bite to eat and grabbing a little nap can make a world of difference for how well you’re able to focus on that loved one and all of the information you’re getting from the medical staff at the hospital.  Hunter Hospitality House is right across the street, so you won’t be gone long, you can be on call, and you won’t even have to drive.
Babies who stay in the hospital longer than their mothers need to be fed every three hours.  That was the case for us when our son Hunter was born prematurely. Sadly, he passed away when he was just 16 days old, and Hunter Hospitality House was founded in his memory.  I had that experience of driving to the hospital every few hours when I was emotional and exhausted, which was not safe for myself or anyone else on the road…and I lived right in town. 
Parents who stay right across the street from the hospital can make those feedings without fail, which is important for the health of the baby and in some cases, for the nursing mother’s health, too.
We do have a vehicle, and when guests need it we are happy to transport them to the hospital or medical appointments. And while I’m mentioning driving, I’d like to emphasize again how important it is not to drive when you’re exhausted from caring for a sick loved one or getting outpatient treatment yourself. 
Drowsy driving contributes to nearly 10% of all crashes, according to AAA.
Even if you, yourself never need to stay at Hunter Hospitality House, it’s nice to know these homes are in our city in case You are hospitalized and have family traveling to see you.  No need to have them stay in a hotel when they can stay right across the street at Hunter Hospitality House for free.
Each home is filled with amenities like hygiene products, laundry supplies, extra clothes, and food—anything someone needs.  If we don’t have it, we can get it, no problem.
Another way Hunter Hospitality House helps the residents of Port Huron is that we are primarily volunteer driven.  We have several volunteer opportunities for people of all ages and abilities—everything from working on mailings, to cleaning and organizing the homes, to doing yard work and gardening.
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Please check out our website, HunterHospitalityHouse.com or our Facebook page to learn more about us.  We want to be sure everyone in Port Huron knows they are welcome to stay at HHH and they can refer others to us when they need our services or a volunteer opportunity.  


Welcome, Anna!

6/3/2022

 
Last week, we welcomed our HHH summer intern, Anna Gerardy!

Anna is a double major in political science and public and nonprofit administration at Grand Valley State University. She is involved in Students Leaving a Mark, a club dedicated to volunteering for nonprofits, and on the club basketball team.

We’re thrilled that Emily Vinckier Pierce of State Farm Insurance pointed Anna in our direction, and we’re looking forward to working with her this summer on every aspect of nonprofit management.

Welcome aboard, Anna!
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Hope Blooms from Home Winners!

5/3/2022

 
First of all, I just want to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to everyone who participated in Hope Blooms from Home.  Because of your sponsorships, donations, gifts of prizes, raffle ticket purchases and matching grants, this was the most successful HHH fundraiser to date!  Over $50,000 was raised for our general expenses, ensuring HHH remains free for our guests.  AMAZING!
Please be sure to keep up with the HHH website and Facebook page, where we'll be announcing the date and details of our next Hope Blooms event.  Meanwhile, I'd like to share the pictures of some of the happy folks who won some of the prizes!
Congrats!
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    Tracy Willard

    Co-Founder & ​Executive Director of Hunter Hospitality House

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    Please enjoy our up-to date events and blogs written and provided by our very own Tracy Willard!
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