Congratulations to Tom Venable, Volunteer of the Month for November! Tom has been volunteering with Alex for the past year. Tom first heard about Hammer through his wife, Ginger, who works as Hammer’s Event Planner. Last year he decided he wanted to bring a little fun and joy to someone we support at Hammer. That was when he was matched with Alex at Carlson. They have been enjoying each other’s company ever since.

Tom’s favorite memory is when he brought Alex to the Wayzata James J Hill Day.  “We were planning on meeting my daughter Jackie there, and the sight of watching Alex sprint over a block through the crowd to give her a hug was totally priceless!” Tom says that seeing the pure joy on Alex’s face when he walks in the door to pick him up is all that he needs to stay engaged.

When asked what he likes best about volunteering at Hammer, Tom had this to say, “Everyone at Hammer is so supportive and positive to the mission of supporting these wonderful people and I am always greeted with warmth and excitement. Spending time with Alex gives me pure joy. It doesn’t seem like I’m volunteering as I get as much out of the experience as Alex does.”

Thank you, Tom, for being such a crucial part of Hammer’s mission. By your participation, you are helping Alex live life to the fullest!

If you want to learn more about volunteer opportunities, visit Hammer.org/volunteer