Hammer Residences has received the special recognition of being named a Top 200 Workplace by the Star Tribune—a ranking that places us among the best of the best in the Twin Cities for 13 years in a row! 

A big thank you to all of our hardworking staff who are the reason we continue to receive this designation!

On Thursday, June 23, Hammer and NER supporters gathered together for the first time to raise funds to support our mission and the people we serve. 

Several people we serve, and their caregivers, played a special role in the evening through inspirational videos and personal appearances. We’re editing a video to share from the evening so you can watch their heartwarming stories too. We’ll send a link via email in the next few weeks. 

Congrats to Monti Patrick from Hammer’s (West metro) Royal Oaks home and William Odame from NER’s (East metro) Rolling View home on being named our Celebrate a Caregiver award recipients for June!

Each month, we ask Hammer’s and NER’s Program Directors to nominate DSPs and APMs on their team who are going above and beyond to make a difference in the life (or lives) of those they serve. One nominee from Hammer and one from NER is selected and receives their choice of a $25 gift card to Starbucks, Target, Holiday, or Cub Foods.

Click here to learn more about why Monti and William were chosen as our “Caregivers of the Month” for June!

Check out the new summer edition of Discoveries magazine. Inside you will meet the artist, Josh, who shares his story and love of painting.



Also in this issue read about our Cooks in the Kitchen volunteers who make the meals for our homes, and check out all our amazing staff and their dedication to Hammer and NER. 

There is much more to read, so check out all the great stories!

Click here to read.

We have several Hammer employees celebrating significant anniversaries this month.

Chief Program Officer Sue Walker (left) has been with Hammer for 45 years! Also pictured is APM Emily Robillard (middle) and DSP Saidu John (right) who each marked 15 years with Hammer!

Other recent Hammerversaries include Program Director Anna Byro, and DSP's Rebecca Williams-Sonyah, Habbiena Gaye, & Paul Aban, all celebrating 5 years. DSP Collison Acquoi was also recognized for 3 years with Hammer. 

Here are the NER employees celebrating anniversaries with the company this month.

Sondra Hampton (Operations Development Manager, pictured to the right, 27 years), Miriam Mark (DSP, pictured below, 19 years), Iyabode Ogunfowora (PM, 9 years), Jateni Alo (DSP, 8 years), Chris Atemkeng (DSP, 6 years), Christine Hagen (Float DSP, 6 years), Samuel Henry (DSP, 5 years), Celine Mekongo Zobo (DSP, 4 years), Glorina Fruetel (DSP, 4 years), Canab Hared (Lead DSP, 4 years), Ross Muellenberg (DSP, 3 years), Kenneth Bendel (DSP, 3 years), Alexis Olson (DSP, 2 years), Germaine Tarh (DSP, 1 year), Kaila Covington (Program Director, 1 year), and Paul Roberts (Support Specialist, 1 year).

Congratulations and thanks for all you do for NER!

A very Happy 80th Birthday to Bonnie Connolly, clerical support at NER. She has worked at NER for over 15 years. A party was held for Bonnie late last month. 

She has done a variety of duties for NER including auditing individual's finances, scanning/Laserfiche documents, and helping out in reception.

We all appreciate her positive attitude and humor. Happy Birthday Bonnie!

Ready for a Luau?

We are looking for 6 volunteers to help us with set up, buffet service, and clean up at the Annual Luau for Northeast Residence. We are also looking for 2 photographers to capture the fun event!

The Luau is being held on:

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

From: 5:00pm-8:00pm (set up begins at 4:00 p.m.)

Located at: Richard Walton Park, 1584 Hadley Ave N, Oakdale, MN 55128

This is a wonderful event for the individuals we support and includes a DJ, photo booth, prizes, and plenty of dancing!

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Cathy Thoma at cthoma@hammer.org or at 952-345-8554. For more information on the Luau, check out our flyer here.

Hammer Travel has a new look! Our website has been redone and launched recently. We think you will find it easier to navigate to sign up for trips or to find out additional information. Check it out at Hammertravel.org.

At the same time as the new website launch, our 2023 brochure has been printed and mailed out. If you don’t currently receive a brochure but would like one, please contact Ann Martinka at Amartinka@hammer.org.

Well, it’s oh-fish-ial, the 17^th Annual Hammer Fishing Trip was a success!

Nothing like starting off the summer season with some fishing, swimming, burgers and hotdogs, and loads of fun!

Thanks to our incredible staff and volunteer team, our Hammer Individuals enjoyed relaxing in the sun, swimming in the pool, and fishing at Gull Four Seasons Resort in Brainerd. Tuna in next June for year 18!

Each month in "Happenings" we'll be featuring some of our favorite photos of the people we support "out & about" having fun in their communities. Enjoy!

There's been lots of turkeys at Hammer lately! Below you'll see a video that our Volunteer Director Cathy Thoma filmed of a mama turkey and her babies at the Hammer Central Office parking lot. Perhaps they arrived too early for Thanksgiving?!

And to the right is a picture of Joe, who Hammer supports, proudly showing off the "turkey'" he bowled (three strikes in a row!) on his last frame recently. Way to go Joe!