by Rosemary Fish As my friend Tony Baisley, Hammer’s Director of Communication, advises, “Write about what you know.” Okay, since that’s pretty straightforward, I’ll go right to the topic I know best: being the parent of a daughter with special needs. By way of introduction, my daughter Leslie is...
By Bill Perrine, Hammer Volunteer My name is Bill Perrine and I am entering my eighth year as a volunteer for Hammer Residences. Back when Hammer was considering a major event to build its awareness and fundraising efforts, my friend Lisa Anderson called me to ask if I could put my event...
By Jeff Warner, Warner’s Stellian History books omit the names of many important people. Despite their significant impact, their part of the story remains unwritten. In Warners’ Stellian’s story, such a man existed. Gerald Tuckner married dad’s sister Marie. Jerry was a...
By: Leonard MacKinnon, Coldwell Banker Burnet Foundation Coldwell Banker Burnet has been helping people buy and sell homes in the Twin Cities, Rochester, St. Cloud, MN and Western Wisconsin for more than 40 years. During that time we have come to understand the importance of giving back to the...
By Wendy Paulson, Human Resources Specialist Congratulations Hammer Residences, on being recognized as a Star Tribune Top 100 Workplace for five years in a row! On June 15, the Star Tribune published “Top Workplaces 2014”—a list of the best places to work in Minnesota. Only 14 Minnesota companies...
by Tony Baisley, Director of Communication I’m not usually a baseball fan. Sure, I jump on the bandwagon every 10-20 years when the Twins produce a successful season. (I confess, as a high schooler I joined the ecstatic fans around me – even waving a ‘Homer Hanky’ –...
By Terriann Matejcek, Director of Advocacy & Volunteer Resources Often our work and our world are moving so fast that we forget to take time to celebrate. We forget to step back, take a breath and say “Wow. That really was something!” On Tuesday, June 10, legislators, family members,...
by Lisbeth Vest Armstrong, Chief Program Officer Did you ever consider the disability field a high risk career option? It’s true. While it is such a fun and fulfilling profession – we get to hang out with, and support, such incredibly sensitive and creative people – there is a price to pay for...
By Mallory Clark, Assistant Program Manager Last fall Brandon Eddy, RN and I were brainstorming creative ways for people to exercise and have fun at the same time. We came up with the idea of encouraging the individuals we serve to challenge themselves and participate in a 5K. As we searched the...
By Maggie Starr-Knox, Assistant Program Manager From my time at the Hammer Day Supports program, I have my fair share of stories to tell (not nearly as many as our buddy Brad). One that sticks out in my mind is our weekly trip to Bruegger’s. It is something everyone looks forward to doing. Every...
By Betsy Gadbois, Director of Learning & Education for Opportunity Partners Person centered thinking and person centered planning seem to be the buzzwords in the disability world, again. We have been talking about these concepts for all of my 30+ years in the field. We all want to believe that...
By Katie Jo Houtman My name is Katie Jo Houtman, and I was born with Prader-Willi syndrome. This condition affects the area of the brain responsible for appetite control. It also causes poor muscle tone, a very high percentage of body fat and lack of energy. Because of Prader-Willi syndrome, my...
By Peter Schaffran, Case Manager I began supporting those with disabilities in 2002 when I worked with developmental disability children. I was a college student at MSU – Mankato and I was searching for the right fit after graduation. After I short time working at Pinnacle with...
By Bill Young, Board Vice President for both Hammer and Hammer Travel It was 2009, and I was having a bad day at work. I stepped out of the elevator on my way home and ran into a coworker, Mark Flannery who was the immediate past President on the Hammer Board of Directors. He said, “I have great...
By Melissa Diamond, Direct Support Professional Last summer, I hosted a lecture event in Minnetonka as a fundraiser for my organization, A Global Voice for Autism. The event featured Hammer CEO John Estrem and parent autism advocate Idil Abdull. Idil has been a leader in drawing attention to the...
By Beth Fondell, Hammer Advocate, Volunteer & Former Board Member Everybody likes a good story, right? A “happily ever after” tale has a special appeal. As a fifth grader, it was the biography of Helen Keller that peaked my interest in the lives of people with disabilities. At the time, I had...
By Josh Hollenhorst, Billing Specialist Music is important. This may seem like an obvious statement, but sometimes we need reminding. Music is one of a few things that has the power to move us, help us, or inspire us. Most importantly, music has the ability to bring people together. Music helps us...
By Elijah Berg, Direct Support Professional One of my favorite memories from childhood was spending the weekend at my grandparents’ house. On Saturday mornings, I would awaken to the smell of my grandfather’s pancakes. My grandfather worked at Pillsbury for years, and he had a “secret” recipe for...
By Dan Pysno, Program Manager We all have a routine. It makes life more predictable and less scary. It helps us feel organized. Generally, routine plays an important role for individuals at Hammer. It is also an integral part of the day to day work of our staff teams. Routine serves a purpose and...
By Brian Kelly, In-Home Program Manager Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological movement disorder that causes a person to have both motor and vocal tics. To me, it is what I got made fun of for when I was a kid (my head twitches, incessant blinking, the compulsion to count things until they were...
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