We are thankful for you!

This season of “thanks giving” reminds us of all that we can be thankful for. We’ve stood side by side to bring one another through some dark and challenging days. Many of us have lost family and friends. Life has changed in so many ways. But finally, the last few months have enabled us to come together, to gather in person, and to see bright, shining faces and smiles once again.

This Thanksgiving let’s take a moment to think about the gifts and the lessons 2022 has brought. We can be grateful for the simplest of things. And we can be a blessing, a gift to others by sharing a smile or “hello” to a stranger, calling a friend or neighbor to see how they are doing, reaching out to someone we haven’t spoken with in a while. Perhaps we can offer a listening ear or a hug.

We are thankful to all of the families who entrust the care of their loved ones to us. We are thankful to our volunteers for sharing their gifts and time so generously. We are thankful to our donors and community partners who believe in our mission and keep us going and growing. We are thankful to our hardworking staff who are dedicated, person centered, and give the best of themselves each day. We are thankful to each person we serve–they bless us with their spirit, their smiles, and their positivity.

We wish you and yours a lovely Thanksgiving. May it bring back fond memories of Thanksgivings past and inspire you to live each day to the fullest.

The post Happy Thanksgiving! appeared first on Hammer.

I have supported Jeanne, who lives at our Queensland home, since the day I started working at Hammer. Like everyone, holidays are also really important to the individuals we support. Jeanne usually spent the holidays with one of her housemates’ families. However, earlier this year, the housemate who Jeanne shared holidays with, passed away.

When Thanksgiving rolled around this year, Jeanne’s other housemates were all going home to be with their families for the holiday. I knew this year Jeanne would be the only one that would not have a place to go, because of the passing of her housemate. It broke my heart to think that Jeanne would not have a place to go for Thanksgiving. Everyone deserves to have someone to spend time with during the holidays, so I asked if it would be possible for Jeanne to come home with me to celebrate with my family. I was thrilled when I got the green light to include Jeanne in my family’s Thanksgiving celebration. Seeing Jeanne’s face light up with excitement when I asked her if she wanted to go home with me to celebrate the holiday, truly made my day.

Samantha and Jeanne enjoying a meal with Samantha’s family.

People tell me what I did was very sweet however, that was not the reason I asked Jeanne to come to Thanksgiving. Just like you invite your loved ones and/or family to your holiday gathering each year, I did just that. I enjoy spending time with Jeanne. The individuals I support at Hammer feel like part of my family. I wanted to make sure Jeanne knew that she always has a family and a loving and welcoming place to spend the holidays.

The post The True Meaning of Family appeared first on Hammer.

Michelle, Program Manager at Hammer

A little-known fact about the Hammer Program Managers – not only do they carry the responsibilities of managing a Hammer home, many of them also work regular direct care shifts. Michelle has been at Hammer for over four years and was recently promoted to Program Manager at our Zachary home. She still frequently picks up direct care shifts to help out with staffing shortages in other homes. Recently, Michelle worked a direct care shift at our 1st Ave home. A night that began normally ended with a wonderful gesture of kindness and generosity.

That evening, the individuals from 1st Ave had planned an outing to Perkins for dinner, so Michelle took them out to the restaurant. During dinner, a lively discussion about Christmas and holiday plans ensued, a favorite topic of conversation given the season. There was good food and good conversation, and everyone was enjoying themselves.

At the end of the meal, one of the men overheard the table next to theirs ordering pie. This sparked his own idea for wanting a slice of pie for dessert. Michelle reminded him that they were being careful to keep the cost of the meal down, so that they could afford to have lunch out at the Mall of America, their planned activity on Sunday. The man agreed, and the pie idea was dropped.

When it was time to leave, the group got up to pay for their meal. As they were paying, the woman at the next table over approached them. She introduced herself and said she was a paraprofessional in the Wayzata School District. She said she was so impressed with the interactions between Michelle and the guys during dinner that she wanted to buy them a pie to take home!

Michelle thanked the woman for the compliment but said the pie was unnecessary. The woman quickly interjected, insistent. She said she was impressed to see the positive interactions between staff and individuals living in a group home. Michelle and the guys graciously accepted the sweet treat to bring home and thanked her again.

On this week of Thanksgiving, we at Hammer have so much to be thankful for. Our fantastic staff members keep our programs running smoothly and effectively, and keep the individuals we support happy and successful. Our community and family members are supportive donors and volunteers. And sometimes, just when we think we have seen it all, we are once again humbled by the support and recognition from an unforeseen source. Not only did a stranger take the time to recognize and thank one of our hard-working staff, she also provided a wonderful example of kindness to the individuals.

Thank you to all of the strangers who go out of their way to provide random acts of kindness. Sometimes, you never know how much a small and simple action can mean to the recipient.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

The post Thankful for the Little Things appeared first on Hammer.

Thank you from the entire Hammer Family!

Your gifts of time, talent and treasure help provide the right support at the right time for the individuals we serve. You make all the difference in enabling full and meaningful lives. Your generosity allows us to continue our 91-year strong mission of providing adults and children with developmental disabilities the opportunity to live life to its fullest.

So, on this day after Thanksgiving, we want to share a short video to show our immense gratitude for all you have done and continue to do!

The post Thank You! appeared first on Hammer.

Jan has known David for almost 25 years.

Every night, before I go to sleep, I count my blessings. I think there might be a song in there somewhere?  Generally, the list includes my good health, good friends and working with people who make me laugh out loud every day. This simple, routine act truly helps me sleep better.

Jan and Deb after speaking at a Hammer meeting in the early 2000’s.

This time of year the list includes Hammer Thanksgiving and all the people who make it possible. Back in 2003 a group of managers were at a meeting and got to talking about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. As the conversation went on, we all realized we had individuals we serve, who for one reason or another, weren’t going to a family celebration. For some they simply had no family left to go to, and for others, their family lived too far away. Something needed to be done.

We decided that one big dinner would be more festive than several small ones. So, we loosely put together a potluck style Thanksgiving dinner that was held in the lower level of our central office. It wasn’t very organized, and we made a few last minute trips to the only convenience store open that day. I learned that mushroom soup will stretch gravy, for instance! Even so, we had a blast and everything tasted great.

Jan at the MN State Fair with individuals she supports.

The word got out and the next year it was opened to everybody living and working at Hammer. Year after year it grew, and many wonderful volunteers started making it a family tradition to spend their Thanksgiving morning peeling potatoes, roasting turkeys (I think we’re up to eight by now), making the yummy sides and then serving it up to the staff and individuals who attend. In fact, one family has kept this tradition so long that their children don’t know Thanksgiving any other way. Luckily, there are always enough leftovers to bring back home for supper. I mean, really, what is Thanksgiving without left overs? Since each home brings a pie we also get quite an assortment of desserts to really top off that food coma.

Our company is often referred to as a family, and I think Hammer Thanksgiving might be the biggest, happiest, most fun (read as drama free) family Thanksgiving ever. The lower level of the central office is packed with noisy, happy people. Diets are abandoned and much food is consumed.

My family lives far away so Hammer Thanksgiving is my Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all the people who make it possible. I am also thankful for the delicious food and the fun folks I work with everyday…Oh, and all the different pies, definitely the pies!

The post Let Us Give Thanks … And Eat Pie appeared first on Hammer.