Here is a story from our spring Discoveries magazine

Help Hammer & NER make our communities better places. You are invited to participate in the discussions that affect you and the people you care about every day including those we support, their families, and staff.

Advocacy is the action of sharing information or making requests for funds and services. We are making requests to decision-makers who provide a majority of our funding—elected officials in Congress and the State Legislature.

Picture this scene: It is a warm day, and you are in line at an ice cream parlor. The two customers in front of you receive large scoops that look delicious and a perfect way to make one’s day. When you receive your cone, it is much smaller, so you ask the server why you received less. The response is, “They asked for more, you did not.” Sometimes the complicated world of politics and government resources can be similar: Those who ask for resources are more likely to receive them.

Lead DSP Stacy Esposito with Anne, who is supported at our Stone Creek Apartments program, advocate for disabilities services.

There is always a role for you in advocacy. It is important to remember that advocacy can take many shapes to fit your time and style. Legislators are less likely to cut resources for people they meet regularly or hear from often. The goal of our advocacy efforts is to educate elected officials about Hammer & NER and the need for their support for future services. Some elected officials are seeking ways to cut significant amounts of government budgets. We must let them know we cannot afford cuts to services, staff, and facilities. Any funding cuts could impact services and the ability to keep all our homes open.

We will work with you to find your advocacy voice. Perhaps you enjoy visiting legislators at the Capitol during our annual “Disabilities Services Day at the Capitol” each spring. If you prefer calling or e-mailing their offices to request a vote for or against an issue that affects you and the people at Hammer & NER, then we can work with you to contact them.

Legislators are less likely to cut resources for people they meet regularly or hear from often.

Advocacy is about amplifying your voice. If you want to tell legislators you support something, tell them how you feel. If you explain your situation and ask your community of family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors to get involved, now you have amplified your voice, similar to speaking into a microphone because more people will now hear you better.

As Hammer & NER’s Director of Advocacy, I look forward to working with you to find ways to amplify your voice and get involved in our future. You are unique and so are the ways to be an effective advocate. We will work with you to find your strength in the advocacy world. If you would like to get involved in advocacy, please contact me at Michael.siebenaler@hammer.org or (612) 772-3825.

(Photo above: Meeting with Representative Ethan Cha (District 47B) during Disability Services Day at the Capitol)