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When Worlds Collide

By: Regan McGowan, Program Manager at Rockford Hammer Home Last January I had the chance to visit the Mephibosheth Special Needs Home just outside of Port-au-Prince Haiti. I wrote about my 10-day experience of loving on the kids who have varying physical and/or developmental disabilities. As soon...

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Baseball Brings Us Together

by Brian C Kelly, Individualized Community Services Manager at Hammer Back in the summer of 2013 Karen Trygstad from the Hammer training department, saw me in my St. Louis Park baseball gear on the way to practice and it lead to us meeting and connecting over our love of the game. Karen’s two sons...

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Celebrating Who We Are Through Active Engagement

By: Kevan Nitzberg Parent Member on the Hammer Board Public Advocacy Committee Member As a teacher at the high school level I know how sports can help to build community, self-worth, and leadership for the participants as well as the fans. My wife and I have seen how important sports have been to...

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A Hobby Turns Into a Gift of Warmth

People with disabilities have a great deal of talent that can sometimes go unrecognized. Sometimes, all it takes is a keen eye and thinking outside the box to make something that seems ordinary, into something extraordinary. The Ask  Jan Hopper, manager at one of the Hammer homes, recently asked...

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Field of Dreams

Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Woody and the Nitzberg families got together to fill a need that was not being met in the Wayzata area. That need was to provide kids with special needs the opportunity to get involved in sports.              After meeting...

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“Hammer Declares 2016 the Year of the Smile!”

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“Hammer Declares 2016 the Year of the Smile!” Hammer has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation. The grant funds will be used to purchase electric toothbrushes, power flossers, and anti-cavity rinses to fight germs that cause gum disease help the...

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My Thoughts on Accessible Transportation

By Self-Advocate, Amber My name is Amber. I am 29 years old, and I have an intellectual disability. Because of this, I live in an apartment in Plymouth where I receive support from Hammer Residences. I am very independent and like to be active. I am a Special Olympics athlete, and I work as a...

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Mayor for a Day: Alden’s Dream Come True

By Terriann Matejcek, Director of Advocacy & Volunteer Resources I first met Alden when he was a member of Hammer’s self-advocacy group “Power People.” Each meeting, he brought with him many local papers and spent time coming up with great ideas for how the group could promote better living...

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