By Tim Eshelman, Director of Environmental Services

You know how it is, when you are busy with your life, rushing to get everything you need to do done, and then suddenly something happens to you that makes you stop in your tracks and think: wait a minute, did that really happen?

I want to share with you something that recently happened at Ridgeview, something that made me stop and reflect on the generosity and kindness of our community to those who call Hammer “home”.  This is a story you might not hear about or notice otherwise.

For a while now at Ridgeview there has been a retaining wall in need of repair.  It’s one of those expensive home repairs you know you need to do – and you never quite get to it.  A retaining wall is not a fun house project, and at Ridgeview it wasn’t an emergency house project (yet), but I’ve been keeping my eye on it. That’s the story of the retaining wall at Ridgeview.

Until I got a call from Otten Brothers Garden Center asking if we had a fall landscaping project they could do for Hammer – as a donation!  Boy did we ever!  We talked about Ridgeview, and the need for a new retaining wall and drainage system.  Before I knew it, the folks from Otten Brothers were at the house, making it all happen.  You would not believe how quickly it all came together.  As you can see in the photo above, everyone is pretty excited about the new retaining wall.

I thought you should know this story, and know how grateful I am to have so many partners, including the Otten Brothers in our mission of proving individuals with developmental disabilities the opportunity to experience life to its fullest.