Together we raised more than $400,000 - a new record!!



Watch our Anniversary video which we premiered at Reach for Ralph and share it with friends!

Your generous support and enthusiasm mean so much to the 370 people we serve and all of us at Hammer & NER. Thank you.

Click here to see a gallery of photos from Reach for Ralph on our website.

It’s not too late to donate to Reach for Ralph.

Our 18^th annual Community Life fishing trip took place up on Gull Lake in Brainerd in early June.

Everyone had a great time fishing from the pontoon, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and playing games.

It’s another way we’re getting back to what we do, getting the people we support back out into the community and enjoying simple pleasures.

Thank you to our staff and volunteers for making it happen!

Look for more pictures from the fishing trip in the "Out and About" section of this newsletter.

Last fall, the team at Coldwell Banker Realty White Bear Lake invited Nate Reed from our Development team to talk with them about Hammer & NER and the great work being done.

Last week, the Coldwell Banker Burnet Team presented a check in support of our mission! The funds were raised through auctions and other fundraisers held within the team’s office. Thanks to former NER Board member and parent, Tom Haycraft, who works for Coldwell Banker, for helping us make the connection.

Pictured (left to right) are Branch Vice President, Chuck Stout; Nate Reed, Fundraising Manager; and Lin Curran, our Chief of East Metro Operations.

Many thanks to Coldwell Banker Realty White Bear Lake for their generosity and support of our mission!

June has been a busy month for Hammer & NER in the local media!

We've been fortunate to be featured in the Sun Sailor, KARE 11, WCCO, and the Minnesota Spokesman Recorder. This photo is from an article written by Sheletta Brundidge for the Spokesman Reporter about Director of Quality Assurance, Barb Matter.

To see all recent media stories about Hammer & NER, click this link to visit the "In the News" section of our website.

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

Our Chief Program Officer, Sue Walker, shares that each month, we are providing our homes and apartment programs with a poster board for staff and the people we support to decorate with ideas that represent one letter in the word SHINE.

In June, we are emphasizing the letter, “H” which stands for Honor and dignity. This means demonstrating respect, compassion, and understanding for the people we support and our co-workers. We will provide compliment cards and other ways for everyone to uplift each other and provide videos of ways that people are demonstrating honor and dignity. 

Going into the 2023 legislative session, ARRM had an ambitious legislative agenda, some of which made it into the final legislation. (ARRM is our state trade association and Hammer & NER works very closely with them on legislative matters.) While ARRM staff are working on a full analysis of the bill, we have some highlights we can share with you from ARRM’s legislative agenda that were passed and will soon become law.

Disability Waiver Rate System Changes: The legislature invests an additional $87 million in the first biennium (24/25) and an additional $225 million in the second biennium (26/27) in new spending within the Disability Waiver Rate System.

ICF/DDs Rate Adjustments: ICF/DDs will also see an adjustment to their rates. Analysis is happening to understand the full impact.

Workforce Recruitment and Retention Bonuses: The final bill creates a “Long-Term Services and Supports Workforce Incentive Grants” fund and allocates $90 million in one-time dollars to this fund. We still need to get details on how providers are going to be able to access this.

We will share more specifics on these items as further analysis of the bill becomes available.

We have several employees celebrating significant anniversaries this month.

Kim Hansen (Human Resources, 45 years), Miriam Mark (DSP, 20 years), Alterlene Capehart (DSP, 15 years), Katie Pease (Training Consultant, 10 years), Sean Henderson (IT, 10 years), David Garner (DSP, 10 years), Claudette Addae (DSP, 10 years), Bode Ogunfowora (PM, 10 years), Zwannah Momo (Lead DSP, 5 years), Lois Jackson (DSP, 5 years), Alphonso Browne (DSP, 5 years), and Glorina Fruetel (DSP, 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.

The pictures on the left are of the ladies from our Highway 96 home enjoying Marketfest in downtown White Bear Lake. This popular weekly summer event features lots of great food, shopping, and music.

On the right are photos from the recent fishing trip to Gull Lake in Brainerd.