My big brother Tim, now 65, has lived at a Hammer & NER group home called First Avenue for seven years. It was our mother’s dream to get Tim into Hammer & NER and she spent two decades working to make that happen. When Tim finally was able to move into First Avenue, Mom would often say she...
Each of our Hammer & NER homes is unique because of the people who live and work there. Each month we will “showcase” one of our homes (or apartment programs) and celebrate the people who live there and the staff who support them. In this edition, we would like to introduce you to the people...
Summer is a great time to be outdoors with family and friends. Who doesn’t love gathering for a picnic or finding a fun spot to go swimming? We know lots of folks at Hammer & NER who do! This summer is a particularly special one for getting together as we celebrate Hammer’s 100- and NER’s...
Greg Johnson’s presence will live on at the place he called home Greg Johnson lived at our Hwy 96 home in White Bear Lake for many years. He came to NER and our convent location in 1989, moving from the state institution in Faribault. Greg was a quiet gentleman who enjoyed the simple things,...
By Mary Gaasch, Director of Advocacy & Community Relations U.S. Representative Dean Phillips volunteered as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at our Carlson group home in Wayzata on Monday. During his visit, Rep. Phillips worked with the people we support to serve them lunch and cleaned up...
We Showed Up and Stood Up at the State Capitol Approximately 90 people from Hammer & NER attended Disability Services Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, March 28. The group included many people we support along with their staff and family members. We began the day by boarding chartered buses from...
Andy, from our Highway 96 home, recently returned from his first Hammer Travel group trip—the destination, Jamaica! Andy is a cheerful fellow and happily recounted his experience. He was particularly excited that the trip actually took place: Back in early 2020, he had registered for a Hammer...
By Steve Watanaskul, Program Manager Remember that old saying, “Don’t meet your superheroes as they may disappoint you.”? Well, that wasn’t the case when I was fortunate to meet Megan Newquist and Chris Egert from KSTP’s “Minnesota LIVE!” on March 21. I was able to stand “in the wings” as John...
Each of our Hammer & NER homes is unique because of the people who live and work there. Each month we will “showcase” one of our homes (or apartment programs) and celebrate the people who live there and the staff who support them. We will have wonderful stories to share! To launch...
Hammer & NER’s Education Grants Support Career Growth KT Noon is a DSP at our Reserve apartment program in Eden Prairie. She is currently enrolled at St. Catherine University (St. Kate’s) pursuing her master’s degree in Holistic Health. As part of her studies, KT recently traveled to...
Hammer & NER Program Manager Touches the Lives of Students in Cameroon, West Africa William Mbu has long held a love of teaching. Before he immigrated to the U.S. from Cameroon, West Africa, in 1996, he used his degree in English to teach ESL (Cameroon is bilingual English and French) and...
Quick Thinking Averts Serious Traffic Accident Volunteer Bob Martinka was recently celebrated for his quick thinking during a Hammer Travel trip that likely prevented a serious accident. Last summer, a group of 26 people that we serve, along with 10 staff members, boarded a chartered bus (with a...
As Hammer Residences celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023 and Northeast Residence celebrates its 50th anniversary, we have another to celebrate as well! Volunteer, Chris Klug, has contributed over 1,120 hours of service. We celebrate his and his wife, Peg’s, 10-year anniversary of volunteering...
Bringing Back a Much-Loved Tradition Here’s a look back on a fun event from last summer when temps were warm, and days were sunny. It was a great opportunity for our west metro and east metro families and staff to get to know one another a bit. A BIG thanks to all of the staff and volunteers...
We Need Legislative Change & Support By Mary Gaasch, Director of Advocacy and Community Relations In October, Jacob Snell, the Program Manager for our west metro (Hammer) Royal Oaks program and I attended ANCOR’s Policy Summit in Washington, DC. ANCOR (American Network of Community Options and...
By Cathy Thoma, Director of Volunteer Resources The universe works in mysterious ways. At least it does for Mary Bradley. About five years ago, Mary (holding tray of cookies above) was watching a movie with a lead character who had Down syndrome. Mary had a sudden, strong feeling that she was...
Congratulations to Stacey Iverson and Cathy Pigg! Each month, we ask our west metro (Hammer) and east metro (NER) Program Directors to nominate Direct Support Professionals and Lead Direct Support Professionals on their team who are going above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of those...
One of the things Hammer Residences and Northeast Residence (NER) have in common is a workplace culture supportive of staff who have met and married or employees who encourage family members to apply for jobs with the organization. The Heroff family has taken that to heart: Lisa Heroff, along with...
A 70-Year Tradition Welcomes New Families & Friends In September, Hammer Residences hosted our annual Family Day Picnic—the first one in three years—outside our Central Offices. This is a special day for the families and people we serve as well as our staff and their families to come together...
If you or someone you know is interested in developing a career (not just a job) supporting people with disabilities, then Teri Lutzke would like to talk with you! Teri Lutzke joined our east metro Human Resources team as a Recruiter a few months ago. She brings with her a special passion for her...
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