Because of you, missionour continues.
2025 Annual Report
2025 Annual Report
LETTER FROM THE CEO AND BOARD PRESIDENT
To our community, our partners, and everyone who has placed their trust in us — thank you. Because of you, our mission continues.
Another year has passed, and with it has come the daily confirmation of why we exist: to open doors, unlock possibilities, and walk alongside people with disabilities as they build lives that are full, self-directed, and deeply their own.
Our mission has never been simply about services. It is about moments. It is about meeting people exactly where they are — with care, with creativity, and with an unwavering belief in what is possible for every single person we serve. Whether someone needs support navigating daily life, building connections in their community, or pursuing a dream they’ve long held close, our role is the same: to care for them so completely that the fullest version of their life becomes reachable.
Together, every program, every home, every shared meal, every trip, and every meaningful connection helps create a circle of support around the people we serve. From care teams and case managers and coordinators to oneon-one volunteers and volunteers woven throughout every department, this mighty village is united around one enduring purpose. For over 100 years, Hammer and NER has been one of Minnesota’s most trusted providers for people with disabilities and we carry that responsibility with humility and with pride. We do not take lightly the trust that individuals and families place in us. We honor it by staying committed, staying curious, and refusing to settle for anything less than what our mission calls for.
To our staff, our volunteers, our partners, and the individuals and families at the center of all of it—you are why we show up. We are honored to be part of this journey with you.
John Estrem Mitch Ringe CEO Board President Hammer & NER Hammer & NER
Executive Leadership Team
John Estrem – Chief Executive Officer
Kristin Pyka – Chief Financial Officer
Isaiah Allen – Chief Development Officer
Kyle Fitzwater – Chief Human Resources Officer
Pam Janczewski - Senior Director, Program Services
Jerry LaVasseur - Senior Director, Program Operations
Board of Directors
Mitch Ringe, Board President
Michelle Olson, Vice President
Laurie Moga, Secretary
Richard Stoebe, Treasurer
Robert Lockwood
Barb Peterson
Blaine Stephens
Kevin Walli
Nancy Wurm
Opening Doors. Unlocking Possibilities.
With over 100 years of service, our relentless commitment to the people we serve remains.
368
People supported in homes and apartments
1,392 People supported with customized Support Services
68 Homes & apartments
512 Hammer & NER employees
Numbers reflect 2025
BUILDING COMMUNITY
A Table Set Every Night
Inside the apartment program dinners that nourishes both body and belonging.
Every evening kitchens across our apartment programs come alive— a warm, home-cooked meal is ready for anyone who wants to enjoy a nutritious meal.
This routine started the way so many good things at Hammer and NER do — someone paid attention. Nearly 25 years ago, our nursing staff noticed that many residents in the apartment programs weren’t getting adequate nutrition, quietly impacting their health. No one asked us to fix it. There was no regulatory requirement, and no funding to support it. We simply saw a need and chose to meet it — because that is who we are.
What began as one dinner a week in one apartment has grown into a nightly standard across all apartments — and has become a hallmark of what makes our apartment programs genuinely different. This quiet investment of care offers something richer. Each dinner is a gathering — a chance to sit across from a neighbor, share a story, and feel a sense of belonging.
In ways that are hard to measure but easy to see, it helps people thrive where they are — maintaining independence, staying connected, and building the kind of steady daily rhythm that supports a fuller life.
None of it happens without a small village of staff and volunteers who show up quietly, every single day. There are no headlines for the people who chop the carrots or wash the dishes — but their commitment is the heart of this work. It is a reminder that showing up consistently is one of the most powerful things we can do for one another.
“We’ve seen how it brings people together across time — those who joined a few years ago connecting with those who have been here since the beginning — and continues to welcome new residents into that same sense of community.”
—Jason Sauer,
Manager, Lake Place Apartment
Lake Place
Apartment residents enjoying a Thursday night dinner together.
A YEAR OF IMPACT
Counting what Counts.
We measure our impact in the moments— the lives, the community built, not the margins.
Countless Smiles
121 recreational outings
53 Hammer Travel trips 406 volunteers | 10k+ hours
The fullest life is one lived in community.
1,025
Supported by Case Management Team
781
Supported by Care Coordination Team
1.8M raised
908 total donors 205 new donors 98 giving monthly
156 Home Activity Requests Filled
218 Quality of Life Requests Filled
Long-term
thatrelationships build trust
Behind every number is a life impacted—and together, those moments add up to something truly meaningful.
—John Estrem, CEO, Hammer & NER
Our donor community is growing — and so is our impact
9 in 10 stay
Staff who engage with our coaching program have a retention rate of 90% after 9 months — more than double the rate of those who don’t.
2025 Annual Report
Revenue and Support
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS December 31, 2024 and 2025
Numbers provided are unaudited.
“People often ask what their donation actually does. The honest answer: it does what nothing else can. It funds the moments that fall outside the lines — the trips, the dinners, the home improvements, the programs built around belonging. That’s not extra. For the people we serve, that’s everything.”
—Isaiah Allen, Chief Development Officer
