In Its Third Year: HAMMER’S FAMILY EDUCATION FORUM GETS A FACE LIFT! Thursday, May 5th 5:30p to 8:30p Click to RSVP by Monday, April 25th. What’s New? 2016 Brings about engaging ways for you to connect and contribute at Hammer’s May 5th Family Education Forum. After a light dinner, join us...
The following is a guest article written by Special Olympics Board Member and brother, Jamie Spencer. Have you ever witnessed a stranger perform a gesture so simple yet impactful that it left a lasting impression on you? I’d like to introduce you to “Johnny the Bagger” and his story. Why is such a...
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...
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...
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...
Read the Winter 2015 Discoveries in our new format!
By Tim Eshelman, Director of Environmental Services You know how it is, when you are busy with your life, rushing to get everything you need to do done, and then suddenly something happens to you that makes you stop in your tracks and think: wait a minute, did that really happen? I want to share...
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...
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...
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....
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