Do you have a special story or memory about being part of our Hammer & NER family, extended? We would love to hear from you!

Throughout our anniversary year—100 years for Hammer and 50 years for NER—we'll be collecting and sharing a wide variety of stories from our families, our volunteers, and our staff. If you have a story or memory you would like to share, please send them to Jennifer Hipple at jennifer.hipple@hammer.org. Thanks!

We were thrilled to recently have a story about NER's 50th anniversary in the White Bear Press!

The story features long-time NER resident Frank as well as information about the history and future of the organization.

Click here to read "Northeast Residence turns 50, looks to future following merger" on the White Bear Press website.

Save the Date: Thursday, June 22

5:30 – 10 p.m.

Quincy Hall, NE Minneapolis

Join the Reach for Ralph Team!

This fun group is looking for new members. You get to be creative while getting ready for Hammer & NER’s one big fundraiser. We need help online, so you can volunteer from home or join us for two meetings at the Wayzata office. The first meeting is Wednesday, March 15 at 4 p.m. Contact Ginger.Venable@Hammer.org for more information.

Become a sponsor early so your name gets on all our promotional materials. Contact Nate.Reed@Hammer.org to find out how you will get recognition for your support or view our Online Sponsorship Brochure.

Donate to our auction: We're looking for a wide variety of items:

Vacation home getaways, tickets to sporting events, golf outings, jewelry, interesting experiences, wine, craft beer, restaurant gift cards, power tools, signed sports memorabilia, theme baskets, etc. Please contact Cari at CSheley@Hammer.org with your questions and donations.

A group from Hammer & NER attended a Town Hall hosted by legislators Rep. Peter Fischer, Rep. Leon Lillie, Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, Senator Tou Xiong, and Senator Nicole Mitchell. The folks who live at Currie attended, as well as a manager, a director, and a parent whose child lives in one of the districts. It was great to have such representation, especially as Rep. Fischer is the chair of the HHS committee. Extra bonus: Our Hammer & NER folks took a photo with Nikki Villavicencio, a Maplewood City Council member who is a long-time advocate for people with disabilities, and currently the chair of the MN Council on Disability. 

• Day at the Capitol: Preparations are underway for our Disability Services Day at the Capitol Tuesday March 28! Lots of changes this year to make the event more accessible and fun for all. Reach out to maryg@hammer.org if you have questions or want to learn more. 

• Upcoming Advocacy Training-all are welcome!

 “How to Tell Your Story” – An Advocacy Virtual Training March 22 at 3 p.m. 

https://tinyurl.com/ycx5n8yx 

Meeting ID: 870 5692 3370

Passcode: 282857 

Please welcome Barb Peterson to the Hammer & NER Board of Directors!



To see all the Hammer & NER Board Members, visit https://hammer.org/about-us/board-of-directors/

You may recall last month in this newsletter we told you about an appearance Hammer & NER CEO John Estrem was going to make on KSTP Channel 5's Minnesota Live morning show on February 23.

Unfortunately that appearance had to be rescheduled due to the winter storm we had last week. The new date is Tuesday, March 21.

We have several employees celebrating significant anniversaries this month.

Clockwise from top, Diana Semakula (DSP, 15 years), Patrick Abe (DSP, 15 years), Raoul Djomo (Lead DSP, 5 years), Jessica Yelegar (DSP, 3 years), and Brianna Nerland Bye (DSP, 3 years).

Congratulations and thank you for all you do!

With the merging of Hammer & NER, employees from both sides of the metro are getting to know each other and recently have been helping each other learn computer programs used in the homes we support.

Pictured here are Malik Mohamud, Khadija Mohamud, and Sandra Shabaiash meeting together at our West Central Office. All three of these employees are Program Managers in various Hammer & NER homes.

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!



Looking for trips in 2024? Be sure to check out the Hammer Travel website, as new trips are being added daily.

Keep an eye out for the new 2024 Hammer Travel trip brochure. It should be hitting your mailbox by the end of March.

Are you a member of a civic group (Lions, Rotary, Elks, Young Professionals, etc) or a faith organization that might like to learn more about Hammer & NER?

Please let us know! We’re happy to make a presentation to your members and share our mission. Contact Ginger.Venable@Hammer.org.