A sweet reunion with early childhood teachers

Chris Ringe joined the Hammer & NER family in 2017 when he moved into our Lancaster home. Chris, who has Down syndrome, is an active, friendly, outgoing guy with a big heart. Earlier this year, as our annual Reach for Ralph fundraiser was approaching, Chris and his parents, Mitch and Judi Marie, wanted to contribute and soon came up with Coffee & Donuts with Chris as a live auction item. Chris and his parents would make a special delivery to the winning bidder with the proceeds benefiting Hammer & NER. On the night of Reach for Ralph, when the Coffee & Donuts with Chris item came up for bid, Chris and his dad, Mitch, made their way to the stage. Chris eagerly stepped to the mic and energized the crowd into bidding. It wasn’t long before a “bidding war” ensued among three bidders. The auctioneer paused and asked Chris and Mitch if they would be open to providing THREE Coffee & Donuts with Chris deliveries and Chris quickly agreed.

The Ringes with Julie Wesley-Wong

One of those bidders was Julie Wesley-Wong, a longtime Hammer & NER supporter and Board member. Here’s where it gets really interesting: Julie works in early childhood special education as an evaluator for the Osseo School District. She worked with Chris over 30 years ago when he was 5 years old. She and Chris recently came full circle when Chris stopped by to deliver Coffee & Donuts with Chris to the district’s early childhood special education teaching team as they prepared for the new school year. (At the top of the page, Chris is with some of his first teachers)

We caught up with Julie to ask her about the experience.

Julie, what inspired you to bid on the Coffee & Donuts with Chris auction item? I had Chris when he was a kindergartener, when I was a classroom teacher at the time. He was a darling little boy. When you are a new teacher, those first few kids you have in your class are always so memorable.  Chris was one of them. When I saw Coffee and Donuts with Chris on the auction, I thought it would be a great opportunity to share Chris’s story with my colleagues. We see kids when they’re really little and I thought it would be nice to see one of “our kids” all grown up and living his best life. I wanted to do this because I thought it’d be a great opportunity to share his success.

Chris spoke to the group of teachers and shared his story

What was Chris like when you first met him? He was an active little boy; very much a doer and figuring out how things work. Chris was also very social and really liked to be with the other kids. He was part of a collaborative kindergarten class and was one of five kids with IEPs in a half-day kindergarten class. His parents did a wonderful job of advocating for inclusion for their son. Chris was sweet and always came in with a smile on his face. He was also funny. One time we took a field trip to the Dayton’s auditorium (downtown Minneapolis) for their annual Christmas display. We walked into the entry to the display—that year the theme was the Wizard of Oz—and the first thing we saw was the big tornado and Chris and another student said, “Nope!” They didn’t want anything to do with that tornado. So, we went around the back to see Santa instead.

I’ve had hundreds of kids in my thirty-three years of teaching, and Chris is one student I’ll never forget. When I saw this opportunity to reconnect with him, I thought it would be wonderful.

There were other teachers there who also worked with Chris as a boy. Yes, there’s a handful of us still around that had him; most have moved on to retirement. People who knew him back then were excited to see him and remembered him. Younger teachers at the event were excited too. They said, “Hey, that could be me with one of my students in the future!” It was a great break in the whole workshop week. Everybody needs a positive story to start out the school year and it was fun! All teachers appreciate donuts and coffee.

Chris with some of the Osseo School District’s special education teaching team

Anything else you would like to add? I want to thank the Ringes for coming up with this awesome idea for the auction. It was a nice opportunity to showcase the great things our young people can do and how they carry on in their lives after they leave the school system. When I was talking to Chris I wanted to ask him about his life. We talked about his involvement with the Special Olympics and his job and what he likes to do. He liked sharing his interest in sports and he is very proud of his accomplishments. I think it’s important to keep in mind that each of the people we serve at Hammer & NER have their own strengths they give to the world. Chris is definitely a gift to all who know him.

Julie’s brother, Mickey, lives at our Wentworth home and has been supported by Hammer & NER since moving to the Hammer boys’ dorm in 1978 when he was 11 years old. Julie and her husband, Wymond, and their business, Twin City Heating, Air, and Electric have been active and generous supporters for many years.