Final call to sign up for the upcoming All-Staff meeting!

This all-employee gathering will include a message from CEO John Estrem and Sue Walker, Chief Program Officer, regarding our merger. Mary Gaasch, Director of Advocacy, will also share the importance of voting in the upcoming election.

There will also be food and prizes!

Here are the meeting dates, times, and locations:

Wednesday, November 2 (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) – Boxed luncheon served

Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center

Thursday, November 10 (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) – Boxed dinner served

Hammer Residences

1909 Wayzata Blvd, Wayzata, MN 55391

Wednesday, November 16 (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.) – Boxed dinner served

Northeast Residence

2539 Co Rd E East, White Bear Lake, MN 55110

RSVP Immediately: CLICK HERE!

Don your spookiest costumes and join us at NER on Wednesday, October 26 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. or Hammer's Central Office from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for trick or treating and a good scare or two!

Watch the video below to see highlights from past Halloween celebrations at Hammer & NER!

We are pleased to announce the October recipients of our new Celebrate a Caregiver program: Hammer’s Bill Pugh (west metro), NER’s Christine Hagen (east metro), and a Special Recognition of ARRM Cares Award nominee finalist, west metro’s Pam Norman! 

Click here to learn more about our

“Caregivers of the Month” for October!

A couple of weeks ago Hammer and NER held our first-ever Fall Breakfast.

We typically hold a Spring Breakfast annually, and this year we decided to also host a Fall Breakfast to be closer to our families in the east metro. The event was held at the North Metro Event Center in Shoreview and was attended by Hammer and NER families, people we support, staff, and volunteers.



Check out the photo gallery on our website to see some highlights from the Fall Breakfast!

Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022! 

This year, all statewide seats are on the ballot, as are many local races. Voting is our most powerful tool to shape the world we want. When we elect candidates who share our values and our priorities, we can work with them to create policies that work for us. If we don’t vote, we don’t get a say!

In Minnesota, we have a great opportunity to elect legislators who are willing to invest in services for people with disabilities. 

Let’s talk to our friends and relatives to make sure everyone votes this November!

Here are some commonly asked questions: 

Where do I vote? Am I registered to vote? How can I vote by mail?

Here are some resources:

https://www.vote411.org  

https://arcminnesota.org/public-policy/voter-empowerment-toolkit

Who do I vote for?

There are a lot of voter guides out there that offer nonpartisan information on candidates for local offices. The League of Women Voters, the Pioneer Press, the Star Tribune, and many local papers are working on these guides right now. Check soon for one in your area.

If you have questions, reach out to [email protected]. I am happy to help!

In 2023, Hammer Residences will be celebrating our 100th anniversary and Northeast Residence will be celebrating our 50th anniversary. What an amazing coincidence!

Please join us in the celebration planning. We need your stories and photos. Are you interested in helping us plan our celebration? Will you host a party at a Hammer or NER Home? Can you help gather photos and create a scrapbook? Do you have any connections with local media that could get our stories in the news? We have a modest budget so help us think of fun, inexpensive ways to celebrate.

Let us know your area of interest and how you want to be involved.

Please contact us:

Ginger Venable or 952-245-0115

Nate Reed or 651-419-8670

We have a Hammer employee celebrating a significant anniversary this month.

Happy 10th Hammerversary to Rosaline Williams, a Lead DSP at our Royal Oaks residence.

Congratulations and thank you for all you do for Hammer!

Here are the NER employees celebrating anniversaries this month.

Brion Curran (HR Specialist, pictured upper left, 20 years), Monique Byas (DSP, 12 years), Michelle Doherty (Support Specialist, 11 years), Erin Overholser (DSP, 11 years), Connie Thurber (DSP, 9 years), Emmanuel Effiong (Lead DSP, pictured upper right, 8 years), Sharlene Beaudry (DSP, 8 years), Ntundu Mwanasomwe (DSP, pictured middle right, 7 years), Analee Schwartz (DSP, 6 years), Shaima Las (DSP, pictured lower right, 6 years), Seng Vang (DSP, 6 years), Sharicka Kennedy (DSP, 5 years), Theresa Smith (DSP, pictured lower left, 5 years), Caroline Chelagat (DSP, 3 years), and Leslie Allotey (Float DSP, 1 year). 

Congratulations and thanks for all you do for NER!

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!



Have you checked out the blog on Hammer's website recently? You should because there's some great new content on there!

Click here to go directly to the blog to browse the latest stories!

Thursday, November 17

We are raising funds for those we serve and the caregivers who support them. Our caregivers have been picking up spares and working extra shifts at many of our homes.



Together we are going to bowl a Turkey! If you make a gift before or on Thursday, November 17 your gift could be tripled! Hammer families and friends have put together a $75,000 match AND the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation is matching all gifts made by new donors and all donations that are higher than your previous largest gift.

Donate now and your gift will count toward our triple challenge match.