By Katie Binning, Program Manager I’ve always felt like I’ve grown up at Hammer. Lisbeth Armstrong (our Chief Program Officer) is a close friend of my parents. I was lucky enough to have her and her husband Mark heavily involved in my life. When “Take Your Daughter to Work Day” came along and...
By Kathy Lund, Mother of Jessica My adult daughter lives with five other individuals in a Hammer home in Golden Valley. They moved there in February, 2008. It is a beautiful, spacious house on a corner lot with a large driveway area for parking. At the time, the house and yard was screened from...
By Ginny Kjellesvig A few years ago I was working at Hammer’s Gardner home. I had been married less than two weeks, and it was my first shift back – Friday through Saturday afternoon. Only one of the ladies, Miss Dawn, was home that weekend. Just as she was getting settled for the evening, I got...
By Nan Bigot and Patty Hastings, Finance Every Friday as a treat, some folks from the Finance Department choose a place to grab a quick lunch – usually to go. It’s a nice way to get out of the Hammer Central Office and breathe some fresh air! Well, on Friday a few weeks ago, Patty Hastings and I...
By Bill and Joanne Culbert We are grandparents and guardians to Christie Hanson who lives at Hammer’s Avana apartment program. Christie is our very special grandchild (we have nine!) and is presently as happy as she has ever been. In fact, Christie keeps reminding us that she never wants to move....
By Kim Hansen, Director of Human Resources I came to Hammer 36, yes thirty six, years ago as a student intern. I was fresh out of college with a zest for life, new ideas to share and wanting to make a difference in the world. Well, more than three and a half decades later, my zest isn’t as zesty...
On Thursday, July 24th over 450 people came together to make dreams come true for the people we serve. Our annual summer benefit was a huge success thanks to a wonderful group of people that made the magic happen. In addition to an army of volunteers the night of the event, a group of 15...
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...
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