Happenings
November 2024
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Winter Issue of Discoveries Now Available |
Hot off the presses–we're excited to share our Winter Discoveries publication with you!
Read stories about the people we support, along with the staff who support them in our homes, apartments, and in the community.
Click here to read our Winter Discoveries publication. The print edition will arrive in mailboxes in early December.
If you'd like a printed copy, please email Barbara Brandt at Barbara.Brandt@hammer.org.
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Thursday, November 21 was Give to the Max Day |
Thank you to the 132 people who donated $143,686.
Thank you to the family members who contributed to the $75,000 Friends and Family Challenge. Everyone who Gave for Good doubled your investment.
Your gifts, large and small, are essential to continuing our good service. We are deeply grateful for your investment in our work.
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Long-time Hammer & NER Nurse Retires |
After over 40 incredible years as a nurse—18.5 of those with Hammer & NER—Cindy Garin is retiring! We recently gathered to celebrate Cindy and her amazing legacy of care, compassion, and dedication.
In her time with us, Cindy supported countless individuals and trained so many of our staff, leaving a lasting impact on everyone she worked with.
Reflecting on her journey, Cindy shared: "Hammer will always hold a special place in my heart. I had the privilege of building connections with individuals, their families, and staff teams, and creating training programs that set our teams up for success."
Cindy, thank you for everything you've done for Hammer & NER. You will be missed, but your legacy will continue to inspire us.
Enjoy your well-deserved retirement!
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Mr. Siebenaler Goes to Washington |
Our Director of Advocacy, Mike Siebenaler, recently attended the ANCOR legislative session in Washington, D.C. Mike met with Congressional staff for Rep. Phillips, Rep. Omar, Rep. McCollum, and with Rep. Stauber.
These visits help us build relationships and increase understanding of disabilities services and the critical need for funding. Mike says he is looking forward to continuing these conversations. (Mike is pictured here with Congressman Pete Stauber.)
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We have several employees celebrating significant anniversaries.
Elaine Kalberer (top left, DSP, 20 years), Leah Burditt (top center, Program Manager, 5 years), Joe Cullen (top right, Communication Specialist, 5 years), Elliot Stalnaker (bottom left, PM, 5 years), Trinh Nguyen (bottom center, DSP, 5 years), Jisela Cornejo (Lead DSP, 5 years), Olumuyiwa Ogundipe (DSP, 5 years), and Nyamah Gonowolo (bottom right, PM, 5 years).
Celebrating 3 years with Hammer & NER are Alliette Perkins (DSP), Kimberly Fagan (Hammer Travel), Leul Habte (DSP), and Diane Campbell (Receptionist).
Congratulations and thank you for all that you do!
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Girard Receives Outstanding Supervisor Award |
In October, we proudly celebrated Emily Girard, our Director of Case Management and Care Coordination, as she received the prestigious Metro Region Outstanding Supervisor Award from the Minnesota Social Service Association (MSSA).
This annual honor recognizes health and human services professionals who demonstrate exceptional leadership, advocate for their staff’s success, and inspire with their passion and enthusiasm. Nominated by Kelsey Larsen, Emily exemplifies these qualities and more—providing unwavering support and guidance while fostering a healthy work-life balance for her team.
Congratulations, Emily, on this well-deserved recognition!
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Invest in Our Homes and Improve Lives |
Hammer & NER is more than a human services organization. It is also a home services organization. Just like any residence, the 59 group homes we operate require care, maintenance, and renovation. These homes also require accessibility improvements to ensure that people can live, move, and experience community without barriers.
We have a full-time maintenance team and hire trusted contractors. But we need your help.
We have over $1 million dollars in projects in the works for 2025. See our complete list of projects here.
We need your financial support to keep everyone safe and secure as they, and their homes, age.
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Stock Gifts and QCDs for Year-End Giving |
How might your stock portfolio or IRA impact the lives of the people served at Hammer & NER? The answer: Quite significantly!
Gifts of stock are an effective way to fuel the mission of Hammer & NER. Rather than selling stock and donating the proceeds, you can gift stock directly to Hammer & NER. There are no capital gains taxes to pay when gifting stock directly to a nonprofit organization. This empowers you to both deduct the fair market value of your stock from your taxes and maximize your gift.
You might also consider directing a qualified charitable distribution, or QCD, from your IRA. Owners of IRAs who are 70 ½ or older can transfer up to $100,000 from their IRA to nonprofit organizations tax-free. QCDs offer the unique opportunity to utilize retirement funds to fuel the work of organizations like Hammer & NER.
Would you like to impact the lives of individuals who live with developmental disabilities? Consider a stock gift or a QCD for your year-end giving.
For more information, contact David Duxbury at (952) 345-8519 or David.duxbury@hammer.org
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Each month in Happenings we feature some of our favorite photos of the people we support "Out & About" having fun in their communities.
Below are photos from our Halloween events at our West and East offices at the end of October. Staff and volunteers from local high schools decorated the offices and gave out candy to the people we support. A spooky fun time was had by all!
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Have you checked out the blog on our website recently? You should because there's some great new content on there!
Click here to see what's new!
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Do you want to work in an exciting and rewarding career? Check out all our openings! |
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