On Thursday, July 24^th over 450 people came together to make dreams come true for the people we serve. Our annual summer benefit was a huge success thanks to a wonderful group of people that made the magic happen. In addition to an army of volunteers the night of the event, a group of 15 dedicated individuals and several Hammer staff members spent the past 6 months planning this event. Our planning committee volunteers were: Sami Achterkrich, Allison Bolgrean, Rebecca Furnival, Cindy Garin, Kim Gillespie, Lindsay Grome, Caroline Harrington, Linda Holmen, Amy Jensen, Bill Perrine, Peggy Sellwood, Peter Sellwood, Karen Trygstad, Peter Tuckner, and Bonnie Young.

Rebecca Furnival was this year’s chairperson. Her creativity and enthusiasm were matched only by her dedication to Hammer. Rebecca is a board member and we proudly serve her sister, Susie.

Volunteering at Hammer is often a family affair and our Reach for Ralph committee was a classic example. This year we had three mother–son teams on the planning committee:

Kim Gillespie has 2 sons, Tom and Kevin, working at Hammer and she generously gave of her time and talents.

Caroline Harrington and her son Devin, our Communication Specialist, were both strong supporters.

Peggy Sellwood and her son Peter Sellwood were also very active on the planning committee.

Thanks also to the staff at the Nicollet Island Pavilion, Auction Harmony, Heavenly Hosts Catering, The Neighborhood Trio and Glen Fladeboe our auctioneer for all of your services.

As Event Coordinator, it was my great pleasure to work with all of these wonderful people.

We were delighted to have family members of Ralph Rosenvold, our event’s namesake and inspiration, in attendance.

During the program we recognized Leslie Fish, James McKune and the Martinka family who were featured in our “Hammer Conversation” videos. Karen Thorud was surprised to receive a trip to New York City, courtesy of Coldwell Banker Burnet, one of our two presenting sponsors. Warner’s Stellian, our other presenting sponsor, and 36 other sponsors also gave generously to help make the evening happen.

Fundraising events – such as Reach for Ralph – are a wonderful way to build awareness, community support and raise significant funds for Hammer. It’s also a great way to reconnect with many old and dear friends of Hammer. I hope that everyone involved enjoyed the evening as much as I did.

Thank you also to all the Hammer staff members that support our efforts all year long.

It was an evening filled with generosity and tremendous community support. We all were able to make dreams come true for many well-deserving individuals.

Ginger Venable