The next in our lineup of annual summer events is our Family Day Picnic, a 70+-year tradition!

Last year, over 400 people came out to picnic with us. We hope you can join us at our West Office parking lot in Wayzata (1909 Wayzata Blvd) on September 23. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be lots of great food, games, face painting, and music!

All the people we support at Hammer & NER are invited to attend along with their families and our staff and their families. There is no RSVP needed or charge for this event. Look for parking signs to be directed to where you should park for the picnic. For more information, click here.

Once again, DSP Recognition Week provides a great opportunity for us to recognize, celebrate, and thank our dedicated and caring direct support staff.

We know they work incredibly hard each day to ensure the people we support can live life to the fullest. Watch for more coming soon, including a special DSP Recognition video and lots of Facebook messages celebrating our DSPs! 

In the year ahead, our Program department is focused on the SHINE initiative.

S – Supporting individuals

H – Honor and dignity

I – Invest in your career

N – Navigating change

E – Experiencing life

In August, our program staff have focused on the “N” in SHINE, which represents Navigating change. Our Chief Program Officer, Sue Walker, shares that, “We have experienced unprecedented change over the past few years, and no matter what, there is always change. We want to support each other in acknowledging this and responding to it. It can be scary and also exciting. Hammer & NER’s All-Staff Gatherings this month are about resiliency in times of change and are such a good way of bringing our employees together. It’s one more way we can see that we are in this work together.”

Retirement plan assets can have serious tax implications for your family members but not for charitable organizations like Hammer & NER. It might be time to rethink your strategy.

To learn more about designating Hammer & NER as a beneficiary on your IRAs and retirement plans, check out information on our website. If you have questions or want to notify us of your plans and what you hope to make possible with your generosity, please call Angela Bernhardt at 952-345-8519 or email ABernhardt@Hammer.org.

We have several employees celebrating significant anniversaries this month.

Fatou Jaiteh (top left, Lead DSP, 10 years), Talesha Brown (top center, DSP, 5 years), Liz Hoskyn (top right, Lead DSP, 10 years), Omobolanle Egege (center, DSP, 5 years), Christine Daniel (bottom left, Lead DSP, 10 years), Kilian Hoder (bottom center, Maintenance, 3 years), and Brittney Severson (bottom right, PM, 5 years).

Congratulations and thank you for all that you do!

Each month in "Happenings" we feature some of our favorite photos of the people we support "Out & About" having fun in their communities.