Hammer & NER was honored this month to receive the "Workplace Waste Reduction & Recycling" award from the White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce!

Pictured receiving the award are (from left to right) NER Fundraising Manager Nate Reed, Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, and Hammer & NER CEO John Estrem.

Thank you to the White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce for this great honor!

Submitted by Mary Gaasch,

Director of Advocacy and Community Relations

A great big thank you to all of you who joined us at Disability Services Day at the Capitol on March 28! Over 2,000 people rallied to advocate for an investment in disability services. One of the biggest crowds ever!

Andy Barnett from our Highway 96 home took the stage to introduce Rep. Brion Curran before she addressed the crowd. Brion is a former long-time NER employee and new champion for people with disabilities at the Capitol! Andy was also very excited to have his picture taken with Governor Walz. 

After we rallied, we attended 20 legislative meetings. We took breaks to meet up in the Historic Governor's Dining Room, chat with friends, and enjoy a boxed lunch. What a wonderful day! About 130 people from Hammer & NER attended–our biggest crowd ever.

So many thanks to everyone who attended–the board members, family members, staff, volunteers, and the people we support. I appreciate all of your hard work planning this event and setting aside time for this important day. A special thank you to Michele Swanson for her invaluable help and great ideas. To see pictures from the Day at the Capitol, visit the photo gallery on our website. More information about this important day can be found on our blog.

Next up: There are two different versions of the bills affecting disability services, one from the House and one from the Senate. A Conference Committee will be appointed to negotiate the final version of the bill. Stay tuned for an Action Alert once we know who will serve on that committee. We need to let them know it is time for action on our workforce crisis!

State Senator Kelly Morrison (District 45, DFL) visited Hammer & NER’s Wentworth home in Minnetonka this month.

People supported and their family members were present and shared their concerns about the need for funding to pay caregivers a sustainable wage. Senator Morrison is a champion for people with developmental disabilities and has been most of her life. We're honored that she volunteered at Hammer when she was in high school!

Thank you for all you do, Senator Morrison!

Thursday, June 22

5:30 p.m.–9:00 pm

Quincy Hall, NE Minneapolis, in the heart of the arts district.

Tickets on sale now! Register Today.

Donate to our auction: We are looking for a wide variety of items: vacation home getaways, tickets to sporting events, golf outings, jewelry, interesting experiences, gift cards, power tools, signed sports memorabilia, theme baskets, etc. Please complete this donation form and send to CSheley@Hammer.org.

Donate Wine, Spirits, or Craft Beer: Selections valued at $20 or more are welcome. Please complete the donation form and deliver your donation to Hammer / Attention Cari Sheley or NER / Attention Diane Campbell.

Become a Sponsor: Contact Nathan.Reed@Hammer.org to find out how you will be recongnized for your support or view our Online Sponsorship Brochure.

Special Olympics Minnesota recently published an article on their website about sisters Tasha and Amber Feigh.

Tasha (pictured on the left) is supported by Hammer and has participated in Special Olympics since she was 8 years old.

Visit this link to read the article. To stay up to date on all articles in the local media about Hammer & NER, be sure to visit the "In the News" section on our website.

Hello everyone! My name is Addison Dahmer and I am working on my Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouts. My uncle has called Hammer home for 25 years and absolutely loves it there. That's me as a little girl in the picture to the right next to my uncle.

For Hammer’s 100^th and NER’s 50^th

^anniversaries, I wanted to compile a collection of YOUR favorite recipes in hopes of making Hammer & NER cooking feel more like home. We are collecting recipes from staff, volunteers, families, donors, the community we live in, and the people we support! 

Please submit your recipes by May 1, 2023 by filling out this Google form.

If you have any questions, or have issues with the Google form and would like to email the recipe, please feel free to reach out to me at: Hammerres100@gmail.com.

The finished cookbook will be revealed and available at the Family Day Picnic in September. Bon appetite!

We have several employees celebrating significant anniversaries this month.

Clockwise from top, Crystal Sundheimermeyer (DSP, 10 years), Ashley Emerson (Case Manager, 10 years), Ja Lisa O'Connor (Lead DSP, 5 years), Jeff Otteson (DSP, 3 years), Cindy Anderson (DSP, 3 years), and Elsie Morlue (DSP, 3 years).

Congratulations and thank you for all you do!

Are you a former Hammer or NER employee who would like to share a special memory about working with us? Perhaps you have a favorite story about someone you supported who touched your life or made an impact on you. If so, we'd like to hear from you!

Please reach out to jennifer.hipple@hammer.org with your thoughts. Thanks!

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