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BOARD SPOTLIGHT
CHANGING PERCEPTIONS: A Spotlight on Bill Young By Barbara Brandt, Director of Communication
H
ammer Board President, Bill Young, is a family man, business owner, and community volunteer. Perhaps less well known is that Bill is the oldest sibling in his family by a mere six minutes! Bill has a younger twin sister, and two other siblings. He lives in Plymouth with his wife, Bonnie. They have three children.
collaborative. “When each of us shares our unique talent with the people we serve, we learn from each other, and build community,” Bill says. Bill’s innovation and forward thinking, honed throughout his business adventures, has opened his mind to thinking in new ways about how to change the way people with disabilities are perceived. “Being open to new ways of thinking is important,” says Bill, “especially when you want to change the way people think.”
Family Man and Business Owner Bill grew up on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio and also lived in Chicago and Philadelphia prior to moving to Minneapolis in the summer of 1985. He began his business career in the late ’70s specializing in paper office business forms, and later transitioned from paper to current electronic business technology. With a background in business and education, Bill soon found his passion for training sales staff in the use of technology. He now is part of a business that uses cutting-edge technology to train sales staff across the country, using their mobile devices. Although he started his entrepreneurial career later in life, Bill has always been an educator, businessman, and a pioneer of new business ventures. His specialty has always been problem solving for businesses, but now he is also integrating technology to keep businesses thinking in new ways.
A Volunteer: The Connection Brought Him to Hammer Years ago, when the Young family was looking for a church home, they attended and later joined Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Medina, Minnesota. After a few months, Bill started to notice there were quite a few people at the service with Down’s syndrome. He was curious to learn that a church member and soon-tobe friend, Joe Reis drove people who lived at the Hammer homes to church
“When each of us shares our unique talent with the people we serve, we learn from each other, and build community,” Bill says. each Sunday. Bill’s interest was piqued, and he needed to find out how he could help. Before long, he was partnering with Joe, making sure each person had a ride to church from the Hammer homes. One of the people who greatly impacted Bill was a gentleman who always sat in the front pew of the church wearing a tall cowboy hat. “His name was Donny,” Bill says, “and he was larger than life with that big cowboy hat, enjoying the moment, and loving life.” Bill notes how Donny was always fully engaged in the sermon and sang the hymns with such great passion.
Changing Perceptions Bill’s leadership style has always been inclusive and relationship based. As an example, he encourages all board members to have dinner with the people Hammer serves at their home. Bill believes it is important to be
Sharing his exceptional and savvy point of view has allowed Bill to promote innovation and thoughtful conversations as President. He states, “Being part of the board has been a chance to use both my business and education experience for the greater good to help others. I am thankful to have the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful organization such as Hammer.”
IN THIS ISSUE PAGES 4-5
A Working Man: In Honor of our Friend Peter
PAGE 6
Healthy Lifestyles for All
PAGE 7
Evolution of a Volunteer
PAGES 8-9
Jazzy's Good Life Quality of Life Fund
PAGE 10
Our Hammer Culture DSP Corner
PAGE 11
A Very Special Field of Dreams
PAGE 12
Because I Traveled, I Gained Confidence in Me!
PAGE 13
Angels All Around Us
PAGES 14-15
Our Donors
BACK COVER Hammer Updates
Hammer Discoveries | 3