On October 22, 10 members of the YPN Service Team met for an event at Tracy’s Sanctuary House. Members volunteered to prepare the inside and outside grounds of the House for this coming winter season. This involved cleaning out a storage shed, raking leaves, trimming trees, as well as various activity inside the House. Prior to the volunteer work, Executive Director Kelsey Zottnick gave a tour and presentation of the House.

Tracy’s Sanctuary House was established in 2005 in honor of Tracy Rittel. On August 9, 2004, Tracy was killed in a car accident near Fargo, ND. While waiting to hear about her status, her distraught family had difficulty finding a suitable place to stay. Coping with her death, her family envisioned a sanctuary for other families in the same traumatic situation.

Tracy’s Sanctuary House provides temporary sanctuary, at no charge, for out-of-town families during a time when their loved one is in a life-threatening crisis. The purpose is to offer a “home away from home” as a place of privacy, comfort and compassion to these individuals. Executive Director Zottnick explained that the House has a 60% occupancy rate throughout the year.