By John Estrem, CEO For more than 25 years, I have worked in social services as a volunteer, advocate and leader. I have served the homeless, the young, the old and people with disabilities. During this time I have seen a subtle but disturbing shift in the relationship between government and the...
By Sean Henderson, Person Centered Technology Manager According to The Arc of the United States, a national organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, two-and-a-half percent of the U.S. population lives with a developmental disability; that’s...
By Regan McGowan, Program Manager A few months ago, I had the opportunity to attend ARRM’s Annual Conference. In one of the sessions, I listened to a speaker talk about the idea of person-centered thinking. This is a well-known concept at Hammer, but it really hit home with me this particular day....
By Joe Reis, Hammer Board of Directors and CEO of Coldwell Banker Burnet 4:45 am and Karen was ready to go! Matter of fact, I think she had been preparing to go for years. The February cold did not deter her spirit at all. Her dream of going to New York City, seeing a Broadway show and auditioning...
By Angela Hickman, Zumba® Instructor and Hammer Volunteer In the spring of 2011, I was the Assistant Program Manager at Zealand, one of Hammer’s apartment programs. A main goal of mine was incorporating health and fitness into the lives of those we were supporting. Many individuals were making...
By Devin Harrington, Communication Specialist Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the International Association of Business Communicator’s (IABC) World Conference in San Francisco. As a member of the Minnesota chapter, I had attended a few local seminars and luncheons that I thought...
By Angela Bernhardt, Director of Major Gifts The Boy Scouts and Hammer Residences have been partners for many years. In 1970, under the leadership of two Hammer dads, Alden Keiski and Jim Solinger, a Boy Scout troop was formed at Hammer. “In the early 80’s I was a direct care staff in the boy’s...
By Brad Fenske, Day Supports Coordinator In the fall of 1989, I was given the unique opportunity to be a part of Hammer’s new Day Support Services. This program was one of the first in the area to look provide care for both retired individuals and those without day placement services. The...
By Karen Lafferty, Graphic Designer My connection with Hammer Residences began in the 1990s, before Hammer moved to their current office building. I met with Ellen Timmerman-Borer in hopes of doing graphic design work as an independent contractor. We met a number of times over the next year or two...
By Tony Baisley, Director of Communication I’ve been thinking recently about what makes a brand successful. Is it snappy tag lines? Flashy ad campaigns? Or, simply a great product? Obviously, without the goods (or services), initial interest will eventually wane. Volvo did not become...
By Jan Hopper, Program Manager Tristan has lived at Hammer since 1978 when he was 10 years old. Like all of us, his life has changed as he aged. His family moved to Seattle, and he had to travel to see them (about once a year). These trips became the high point of his year and were his main topic...
By Lauren Pehler, Assistant Program Manager The theme of last year’s Reach for Ralph benefit was “Making Dreams Comes True.” That evening, guests were able to help fund the dreams of a number of people Hammer serves. Robin, an individual I support, had a dream any lady would enjoy – a day at the...
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