We hope all of you are having a very happy holiday season! Click here to watch a short video of Hammer & NER highlights from the holidays.

It's been a very good (and busy!) year at Hammer & NER as we wrap up our 100^th and 50^th anniversary celebrations.

Take a look back at all the excitement with this 2023 Year-in-Review video.

A number of long-time Hammer & NER employees are retiring at the end of the year after many years with the organization.

Pictured clockwise from top left are Kim Hansen, Barb Matter, Dianne Berg, Jill Kunze, Lisa Parrish-Greenberg, and Mark Hansen.

Kim worked at Hammer for over 40 years in a number of roles with her most recent being in Human Resources. Barb also worked at Hammer over 40 years, most recently as the Director of Quality Assurance.

Dianne and Jill are retiring after 30+ year careers at Hammer. Both worked for many years as Program Managers at our Lakeside and Black Oaks homes respectively.

Lisa worked the last several years as our Volunteer Coordinator and Mark as our Database and Annual Fund Manager.

We'll miss all of them and wish them the best on their well-earned retirements!

We'd like to introduce three new faces you'll be seeing around the Hammer & NER offices.

Jerry LaVasseur (top) is our new Director of Program Services. He comes to us with a wide range of experience in residential and employment services for people with developmental disabilities. He and Pam Janczewski have the same roles as Director of Program Services, with each supporting our Program Directors and other Program leaders.

Jesse Moravec (middle) is our new Training and Education Lead. Jesse comes to us with a strong background in education. He will be involved with orientation training for new employees and playing a large role in creating and implementing eLearning and instructor-led training.

Moe Jameel (bottom) is our new Receptionist at our West office. Moe moved from Iraq to Massachusetts in 2012 and then on to Minnesota in 2015 after graduating from Chicopee High School. Moe previously worked at Walker Methodist Care Suites.

Welcome to Hammer & NER Jerry, Jesse, and Moe!

We were sad to learn last week that Denny Schmidt passed away. Denny's wife, Corrine Schmidt, was the Executive Director of NER for over 25 years. Denny was also very involved over the years with NER including taking people supported on over a dozen trips. Whenever someone needed help or assistance Denny was there.

Services will be on January 5, 2024 at 11:00 A.M. with the visitation starting at 9:30 A.M. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Schmidt family.

A safe, stable home is the foundation for everything in life. 

Our 2024 Home Improvement List (click to view list) includes many projects across our 59 homes and 9 apartment programs. Each of these projects helps improve the quality of life for the people who live and work in our homes, now and into the future. 

Your support of Hammer & NER allows us to go above and beyond what government funding will provide and create home environments where people can thrive.

Please join us in providing people with the Power of Home and donate today: https://hammer.org/year-end-appeal-2023/

We had approximately 360 travelers on 24 different trips during 2023. What an amazing year! 

Thanks to our hard-working travel staff and volunteers, we run very successful and fun trips for our travelers. Thanks to the staff who sign them up and fill out the paperwork on time. This information helps us learn how to support the traveler in the best way possible.

Our 2024 trips are filling up and our 2025 trips are being added to the website. Look for our 2025 brochures to arrive in the mailbox in early March. 

Are you looking for a dependable and professional service provider to help ensure your safety and home comfort?

Our long-time supporters at Twin Cities Heating Air and Electric are the ones to call for your heating, air and electric needs. Their dependable Service Technicians and Electricians are only a phone call away! Live operators standing by 24 hours a day.

Call (763) 220-8924 or schedule an appointment online at https://twincityheatingandair.com/contact-us.

January Special: For every Heating Tune-up that is completed in January, they will donate $75 to Hammer & NER. For this promotion, they are offering Tune-Ups for only $150 (typically $189)! Stay warm all winter long and help support the residents of Hammer & NER by scheduling your Tune-Up today!

The Minnesota Legislative session begins February 12, 2024, bringing us new opportunities to tell our legislators why investing in Disability Services is so important. Join us on Microsoft Teams to learn how to tell your story and how to use social media to advocate effectively! We welcome staff and family members to learn some practical, easy ways to advocate!

Join us on Teams

on:

Wed 2/7/2024 4:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M.

or 

Wed 1/24/2024 11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.

Reach out to our Advocacy Director Mary Gaasch at Maryg@hammer.org and she will send you an invite!

Thanks to our amazing volunteers 34 dozen cookies were baked for our homes and apartment programs to enjoy over the holidays!

The cookies were distributed to all of our homes and apartment programs. The cookies looked so glad we're sure they won't last long!

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

Pictured below on the left are pictures from Missy and Matt's 30th birthday karaoke party. Family, staff, and friends gathered for the celebration which featured fun songs, dances, and laughter. Missy's rendition of "Puff the Magic Dragon" stole the show!

On the right are photos from Santa's visit to our Garland home. Santa bore a striking resemblance to Garland's Program Manager Paul Aban, but we're sure that's just a coincidence!