We Showed Up and Stood Up at the State Capitol Approximately 90 people from Hammer & NER attended Disability Services Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, March 28. The group included many people we support along with their staff and family members. We began the day by boarding chartered buses from...
Andy, from our Highway 96 home, recently returned from his first Hammer Travel group trip—the destination, Jamaica! Andy is a cheerful fellow and happily recounted his experience. He was particularly excited that the trip actually took place: Back in early 2020, he had registered for a Hammer...
By Steve Watanaskul, Program Manager Remember that old saying, “Don’t meet your superheroes as they may disappoint you.”? Well, that wasn’t the case when I was fortunate to meet Megan Newquist and Chris Egert from KSTP’s “Minnesota LIVE!” on March 21. I was able to stand “in the wings” as John...
Each of our Hammer & NER homes is unique because of the people who live and work there. Each month we will “showcase” one of our homes (or apartment programs) and celebrate the people who live there and the staff who support them. We will have wonderful stories to share! To launch...
Hammer & NER’s Education Grants Support Career Growth KT Noon is a DSP at our Reserve apartment program in Eden Prairie. She is currently enrolled at St. Catherine University (St. Kate’s) pursuing her master’s degree in Holistic Health. As part of her studies, KT recently traveled to...
Hammer & NER Program Manager Touches the Lives of Students in Cameroon, West Africa William Mbu has long held a love of teaching. Before he immigrated to the U.S. from Cameroon, West Africa, in 1996, he used his degree in English to teach ESL (Cameroon is bilingual English and French) and...
Quick Thinking Averts Serious Traffic Accident Volunteer Bob Martinka was recently celebrated for his quick thinking during a Hammer Travel trip that likely prevented a serious accident. Last summer, a group of 26 people that we serve, along with 10 staff members, boarded a chartered bus (with a...
As Hammer Residences celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023 and Northeast Residence celebrates its 50th anniversary, we have another to celebrate as well! Volunteer, Chris Klug, has contributed over 1,120 hours of service. We celebrate his and his wife, Peg’s, 10-year anniversary of volunteering...
Bringing Back a Much-Loved Tradition Here’s a look back on a fun event from last summer when temps were warm, and days were sunny. It was a great opportunity for our west metro and east metro families and staff to get to know one another a bit. A BIG thanks to all of the staff and volunteers...
We Need Legislative Change & Support By Mary Gaasch, Director of Advocacy and Community Relations In October, Jacob Snell, the Program Manager for our west metro (Hammer) Royal Oaks program and I attended ANCOR’s Policy Summit in Washington, DC. ANCOR (American Network of Community Options and...
By Cathy Thoma, Director of Volunteer Resources The universe works in mysterious ways. At least it does for Mary Bradley. About five years ago, Mary (holding tray of cookies above) was watching a movie with a lead character who had Down syndrome. Mary had a sudden, strong feeling that she was...
Congratulations to Stacey Iverson and Cathy Pigg! Each month, we ask our west metro (Hammer) and east metro (NER) Program Directors to nominate Direct Support Professionals and Lead Direct Support Professionals on their team who are going above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of those...
One of the things Hammer Residences and Northeast Residence (NER) have in common is a workplace culture supportive of staff who have met and married or employees who encourage family members to apply for jobs with the organization. The Heroff family has taken that to heart: Lisa Heroff, along with...
A 70-Year Tradition Welcomes New Families & Friends In September, Hammer Residences hosted our annual Family Day Picnic—the first one in three years—outside our Central Offices. This is a special day for the families and people we serve as well as our staff and their families to come together...
If you or someone you know is interested in developing a career (not just a job) supporting people with disabilities, then Teri Lutzke would like to talk with you! Teri Lutzke joined our east metro Human Resources team as a Recruiter a few months ago. She brings with her a special passion for her...
Frank Palony has Spent a Lifetime in Our Care By Lin Curran, Chief of East Metro Operations Frank has been a member of our (east metro) NER family most of his life, going back to 1975 when he was 8 years old and moved into our ICF home. This was just two years after Northeast Residence opened its...
This season of “thanks giving” reminds us of all that we can be thankful for. We’ve stood side by side to bring one another through some dark and challenging days. Many of us have lost family and friends. Life has changed in so many ways. But finally, the last few months have...
Congratulations to Elizabeth (Liz) Hoskyns and Qadira Bradshaw! Each month, we ask our west metro (Hammer) and east metro (NER) Program Directors to nominate Direct Support Professionals and Lead Direct Support Professionals on their team who are going above and beyond to make a difference in the...
Her Smile Lit Up Times Square! By Joanne Heller Our daughter, Jennie, who recently turned 47, has resided at the (east metro) Cedarwood home for 24 years. Throughout her life, Jennie, who was born with Down syndrome, has struggled but persevered. When she was starting to crawl and grabbing things,...
Each year, we present Community Partner Awards to individuals and organizations that have made a positive impact on the lives of those we serve, or whose efforts have greatly supported our work. Since 1993, we’ve recognized 70 nominees who serve as role models of compassion and service as well as...
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