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 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...
By John Estrem, CEO Change is a normal part of everyday life; however, 2014 is shaping up to be a year of particularly big change in our field. This is being driven by two large revisions that have been a long time coming – a new rate setting system and the new 245D waiver regulations. The rate...
by Fatma Sheekh, Direct Support Professional Hidden away on the quiet corner of 12th and Nicollet Mall in Downtown Minneapolis is French Corner Bistro and Bakery. Most of us pass by without ever noticing the white poodle and the words “consider yourself Frenched” written on a red bubble. I was...
by Levi Martinka, Hammer Volunteer My sister Joy has Down syndrome. Some may consider having a sibling with a disability to be a burden. In my mind, it is, and always has been, a blessing. Despite being my younger sister, she has greatly shaped my life (whether she knows it or not). Because she is...
By Ann Martinka, Business Development Associate for Hammer Travel As a parent of a child with a disability, the future is an unknown, intimidating and down-right scary place. During the early years, the focus of life is on the here and now. Taking life day by day is not an exaggeration, and the...
by Tony Baisley, Director of Communication I was enjoying a birthday dinner at The Modern Cafe in Nordeast recently when something caught my eye. A young woman with what I perceived to be a cognitive disability was out for the evening with her family, also celebrating a birthday. Everyone appeared...
by Karen Trygstad, Training Administrative Assistant The road to reconnecting with Mitch was nothing short of a divine intervention. Explaining to anyone how I know Mitch requires a flow chart, which makes the reunion all that more special. I am “related” to Rod Carew, the former Minnesota Twins...
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