MAINEVILLE, Ohio -- Traci Fletcher-Garrett had a passion for bringing the community together, and now the community is coming together in her honor.
A mother, sister and friend, Fletcher-Garrett was killed in a murder-suicide on Sept. 11 after police say she was shot by her ex-husband with two of her children in the home.
RELATED: Murder-suicide near Little Miami High School rocks community
Less than a month after her death, the community is rallying together to make sure the children she left behind knows they are not alone.
April Sova was planning a fundraiser event with Fletcher-Garrett when she died. Now she is spearheading a fundraiser in her name.
"We were planning just for networking...just to get the community out and together, so we wanted to spread the word,” Sova said. “But with her passing we thought it would be cool to continue the show as she wanted."
The Oct. 29 fundraiser will feature 23 local businesses, a silent auction and a bake sale, all to benefit her children, Gabbi, 17, Kara, 16, and Hunter, 15.
Nikki Conley, Fletcher-Garrett’s sister, said although the family is going through a difficult time, she is thankful for the support of the community.
"The kids had a traumatic experience that is not something that can get fixed or change for them any time soon,” Conley said. “And as a family we're doing what we can, but sometimes it takes a community to raise a child and that's kind of what's happening now."
The children are staying with their aunt, who is already a mother of two. The money would go in part towards renovating the basement to make two rooms and a bathroom for the Fletcher-Garrett children.
The fundraiser will take place 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. on Oct. 29 in Maineville, Ohio.
