Celebrating New Year’s Eve 2024

Around the Cedarwood Apartments in Crystal, Kelly Lee is known as the gal with a personality and smile that can light up a room. She is also a very independent woman who advocates for herself and others living with disabilities.

“I am a person with cerebral palsy,” Kelly will tell you. “I always wanted to live on my own, but my family wasn’t so sure.”

Kelly lived with her sister, Anne, for many years. “It was just the two of us,” says Anne,” but when I got married, I wasn’t able to do the things for her that she needed. The best thing for her was to find someplace where she could be more independent so she could live her own life while still being around people.” An assessment determined that Kelly could be in her own place. “Once we talked everything over with her counselors and met with Cedarwood and learned what it would look like and how much support she would have, I was more comfortable with her having her own apartment,” Anne says. “Our mom raised her to be independent.”

Kelly was very pleased with the move to the Cedarwood Apartments. “It was all very new to me, but I made a whole lot of friends,” she says.

“I knew Kelly would be a good fit here,” says Program Director Jay Butler. “Kelly is proud of being a self-advocate. She represents people with disabilities and likes to talk with people about it. She likes working with The Arc, attends monthly meetings, and has gone to their national conventions.”

Anne agrees. “Kelly talks to people about how important it is for people living with disabilities to be seen and heard. She encourages them to speak up for themselves and not let people talk down to them or talk about them. That’s what a lot of her work with self-advocacy is about.”

Visiting Saudi Arabia during an international disabilities conference

Prior to getting involved with The Arc, Kelly was involved with ACT, another disability advocacy group. “She did a lot of speaking engagements,” says Anne. “They took her many places, including Saudi Arabia for an international disability conference. She’s not afraid to speak in front of people.”

Kelly says she wants people to accept her for who she is. “I have a life to live,” she says. “There are people who have been hurt like I’ve been hurt. Sometimes you have sad times. Some people don’t listen to those with disabilities. Sometimes they don’t want to be bothered by people with disabilities. I know I’m doing the very best I can.”

Kelly has a job at Lifetime Fitness that makes her feel valued. She was laid off during the pandemic, which really took a toll on her. Happily, she was recently brought back a few months ago. “The members remembered me and were happy to see me back,” Kelly says. “Everyone looks at me as me. They don’t say anything about my disability. They see me as a person, as Kelly.”

Although Kelly is getting older and slowing down a bit, she knows what she needs and will ask for it. She talked with staff about moving from the second floor to the first floor for mobility and safety reasons. “I’m a little slow, so in case there was a fire—” she says. She finds a way to compensate for the changes that aging brings about. “When you’re living with a disability, you don’t say the word can’t,” Kelly says. “That’s something my mom told me. I can. I can. I can. I’m trying. I’m trying. I did it. I did it.”  

Kelly is pictured above with her sister, Anne.

The post Meet Kelly appeared first on Hammer.

First, a timeline. Hammer School was founded in 1923 by Alvina Hammer, a former nurse at Faribault State Hospital. About a decade later, Evelyn Carlson joined the staff at Hammer. In 1947, she became  the director of Hammer School, and continued her leadership role in the organization for over 30 years. In 1960, the Hammer School became a non-profit corporation.

Hammer School became a beacon of hope for families who sent their children there, because at the time, many people with disabilities were institutionalized. This quote from an in-depth article on the Hammer School by the local newspaper Twin Citian paints a picture of the times: “Anyone who has visited a state hospital and seen 40 or 50 children sitting aimlessly in a day room is struck by the purposefulness, the happiness of the children at Hammer.”

Although Hammer is named for our founder, Alvina, it would be disingenuous not to also discuss Evelyn Carlson’s impact and commitment to the school. It was her vision that propelled Hammer into the spotlight as a premier care provider for people with disabilities. She built on what Alvina had begun, hiring more teachers and staff, building more dormitories, and supporting more children. Some of the older people we currently support still remember their days with Ms. Carlson, sharing dinner, chatting, and relishing in her kind spirit.

A typical day at the Hammer School would have been similar to your average expectation of a school day. Students lived in dormitories, so everything they needed was on-site, including meals. Students woke up and ate breakfast, with classes beginning at 9am. After two classes in the morning, they went back to their rooms at 11:30am for a break before lunch. Lunch was from noon to 1pm, and after that classes were taken until 3pm. After the school day was over, students relied on their housemothers for planned activities and leisure time, and everyone ate dinner together family style in the dining hall.

During class time, students were given standard instruction in reading and arithmetic, as well as additional classes such as typing, crafts, weaving, music, and dance. The Hammer School grounds included a greenhouse where individuals grew different types of plants and seedlings, and a large craft room where creativity was encouraged through painting and drawing, weaving, sewing, and other crafts. Both plants and crafts were later sold with the permission of the people who created them, with all proceeds going back into the Hammer School. The school grounds even had a pool on-site, where individuals took swimming lessons and cooled off in the summertime.

Hammer supported anywhere from 40 to 60 people at any given time during the years Evelyn Carlson ran program. With 5 to 7 teachers on duty, class sizes were small enough for instruction to be personalized and adapted to the individual. Additionally, each floor of students was assigned a housemother, who was always available to attend to student needs, lend an ear to listen, or help solve a problem. The foundation of individualized care was being built even at that time, 50 years ago, to make Hammer the person-centered care facility it is today.

As we look to the past 50 years and how far Hammer has come as an organization (we now support over 200 people with our residential services), it is exciting to also look forward and contemplate the future. As with the Hammer School, our current Hammer Residences continues to strive to be at the forefront of disability services. It is exciting to think where our innovation will take us in the next 50 years.

The post Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic – A History of the Hammer School appeared first on Hammer.

Pitching practice

By: Michelle Ryan, Program Manager at Zachary

Baseball in January you might ask? …well our answer is YES! Baseball is usually considered a summertime sport, but this year, during one of the coldest days in January, Hammer held its 4th Annual Hammer Home Run event in the Wayzata Middle School dome. Many people showed up, ready to play and eager to enjoy the time spent with friends both old and new.

As a staff member, I look forward to this event as much as our individuals. This year there were over twenty high school and college baseball players,  joining in the fun with about twenty individuals from our many programs, with Hammer staff, Wayzata Baseball coaches and Scott Leius, former Twins player. Three cheers to all of them!

The Wayzata baseball players assisted the players from Hammer in getting their game day t-shirts and hats on, which were donated by the Wayzata Baseball league. The volunteers were then matched with players and they started working  on their throwing, hitting, and catching skills. There were several different stations for individuals to shine and show off their amazing talent. In the end, the main focus was to do what they came to do – PLAY BALL!  As always, the final game was the highlight of the day.

Getting ready to bat with Scott Leius.

Throughout this two-hour event I was so impressed with the volunteers. They were engaged in what our individuals had to say, and they initiated conversations as well. One of the young men overheard Tristan (supported by Hammer) say that he had a baseball field in his backyard and that the boy scouts had built it for him. The young man exclaimed, “I could have done that instead of a park bench for MY Eagle Scout Project!”

There were many awesome moments during the event, and I’ll share a few that stood out to me. Michael is supported by Hammer in his home. He is not able to run the bases anymore but he sure can hit! He had a pinch-runner and told him that ‘he had better run really fast for him’, then continued to egg him on. I hadn’t seen an individual we support named Nels since this summer, and when it was his turn up to bat I couldn’t resist saying, “Batter Batter Swing,

Running the bases

and a Miss!”  As payback, Nels kept trying to creep up on me to scare me…but you kind of notice Nels coming up behind you. Another individual, Kris, was helping her new friend Amy getting out of her comfort zone. This was a joy to watch. Amy is usually very shy. Today, however, Amy broke out of her shell and was having a wonderful time as she hit the ball and ran the bases with the rest of her teammates cheering her on.

From Scott helping the individuals with their hitting skills, to everyone cheering our individuals by name as they ran the bases – this was by far one of my favorite events to attend. No one went away with tears that ‘they couldn’t’ because no matter what your ability or situation, everyone was included.

Again, HUGE kudos go out the volunteers who made this day about the Hammer players. I was so proud and in awe of them and their compassion to make this a great event.  For everyone who played, who watched, and those of us that cheered from the sidelines, thank you. I can’t wait to put this on my calendar for January 2018.

Photos courtesy of Michael Moschogianis.

The post Hammer Home Run 2017 appeared first on Hammer.

To me, music is everything. There is something about the way a song can bring you back to a memory you once cherished but has lost its clarity in your mind. Personally, my musical heroes are Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Johnny Cash. The distinction between these three artists is something not everyone can appreciate, or wants to. Country music has such a distinctive and special history, with so many significant people and stories.

In fact, I had never met anybody who was as fascinated by country music as I am until I started to visit Lynn at his Hammer home. Being seventeen years old, none of my friends listen to Johnny Cash or Elvis Presley in the car when we are together, which means I never get to choose the radio station! Thankfully, Lynn is my one friend who understands the twang and story-telling ability of country music just like I do. That twang means everything to me. I sing, play, and write country music, and aspire to be a songwriter in Nashville, as soon as next year. I know that may seem like a pretty far-fetched dream, but I could never see myself doing anything different with my life. Country music is my hobby, career path, and number one love. Lynn may not have a dream to become a songwriter in Nashville as I do, but he sure does have a strong passion for music.

When I first met Lynn, I had been told of his love for Elvis Presley, but I never would have suspected that country music was something he needs, just like I do. The first day I visited him, I brought my guitar and I played Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” I wasn’t sure if he would recognize the melody or know the words, but he sang ever word! The way he lights up when he hears me begin to strum the chords to that song, is something I can’t describe. To most people, it is simply another Elvis Presley song, but to Lynn it’s so much more…it means we are together on a Saturday afternoon, with me in his green chair strumming my guitar, and Lynn sitting on the bed singing his heart out.

Although Elvis Presley contributes to our friendship, I think Lynn draws inspiration from country music for his day-to-day life just as much as I do. Each day during the week, Lynn catches a bus to his job, comes home, eats dinner, and does it all over again the next day. But Saturdays are different – and special. We spend an hour singing the classics that have developed country music into the mega industry it is today. The staff at his house says Lynn occasionally has behavioral issues in the weeks I can’t make it for our Saturday time together. Hearing how our weekly music jam sessions contributes to his happiness, assures me that I’m not the only one who has a strong attachment to this music. Lynn gives me hope that I can someday make people smile with my music, just the way Elvis does for him, and me, each Saturday.

The post Saturday Jam Sessions appeared first on Hammer.

We talk everyday about what we call the “Hammer Quality.” Every time I visit a home or an apartment I ask myself the question, “What makes this a quality place?” Quality is one of those elusive terms, like love, in that you know if you have it, but it can be hard to articulate it. I have come to the conclusion that quality can be about tangible things like a comfy bed, safe van and healthy food. However, quality is mostly about getting the support we need at the time that we need it. This is true whether we live with a disability or not.

John and his good friend Jim Finney aka “The Man About Town.”

Redefining the Hammer Quality from the ground up.

If I have a good friend to talk to when I feel down … or if I can get help when I need it for daily or unusual tasks … and if I feel safe and secure in my daily life, I then have a quality of life. This can be even more critical for people living with a disability. In some cases, a person with a disability needs help with daily tasks like brushing their teeth or shopping for groceries. The key in providing quality helps in determining what it means to “help” someone.

Many years ago I was meeting a gentleman who used a wheelchair in daily life. I was outside waiting for him when he pulled up in his car. After he parked, he reached behind his seat to pull out his wheelchair. Raised to be helpful, I moved forward to grab the chair for him. He looked at me kindly but firmly and said “Don’t, I do this every day.” I learned a valuable lesson that day. My inclination to rush in and do something for someone is not always the best way to help. We all want to be as independent as possible. Providing quality help means being there for someone as they need me, not as I want to help. How do I know how to help? I simply ask the person if they would like some help. A big part of quality of life is being independent as possible and having control over daily aspects of life. It is great to want to help, and it is why most of us work or volunteer at Hammer. We just need to remember that it is their lives, not ours. So, go ahead and be helpful every day. Just remember to have respect and ask the person what they want.

The post The “Hammer Quality”: Helping Us Recondition the Way We Think appeared first on Hammer.