Mark booklet

Meet Mark

A music man He’s also a person with a disability who contributes to the community as:

A Tax-payer A Consumer An Employee A Volunteer Mark is able to live as independently as possible because of his support from Hammer.

A Renaissance man One might say Mark is a Renaissance kind of guy with a healthy portion of true Minnesotan thrown in. He loves to dance, listen to his favorite ‘50s Rock ‘n’ Roll music, travel with his family (he’s been to Latvia!), and take cooking classes. As for the Minnesota side of him, give him a good casserole or a plate of meat and potatoes and he’s a happy man. Mark also loves spending time “Up North” at the family cabin.

Connecting at work Mark has a job he loves— he’s worked at Edina High School in the cafeteria for the last 18 years. He keeps things moving by running the dishwasher and restocking supplies. Mark particularly enjoys seeing the special education kids coming through the line. He knows everyone who works at the school and the janitorial team loves him. Mark is one of those positive, friendly people others enjoy being around.

Keeping others warm Each fall, Mark helps out with his church’s annual coat drive. He makes the rounds at his apartment building politely asking others if they have a coat to donate. It’s important for Mark to give back and he encourages others to do the same.

Following his heart Mark is passionate about music. His favorite two cover bands—from Iowa—are the Shack Shakers and Endless Summer. He enjoys going to see them whenever they’re playing locally. A few years ago, Mark started taking guitar lessons from Geoff, one of our Hammer staff. They found a couple other guys and started their own band, the Parkway Band. They write their own songs, play Rock ‘n’ Roll covers, and perform at Hammer events.

Mark has a nurturing home at Hammer Friends who know him say music, the Parkway Band, and his Hammer supports have helped him grow as a person.

Mark is living his best life and we are proud to be part of it.

285 individuals are supported in Hammer’s residential programs.

Over

200 of these individuals

work in the community and contribute to Social Security, Federal and State taxes.

Each person is a valuable part of our community and deserves to have their

voice be heard!

We are your disability experts!

At Hammer, we have been serving individuals living with developmental disabilities since 1923.

To learn more about Hammer visit hammer.org Or contact: Terriann Thommes Director of Advocacy and Volunteer Resources Terriann@hammer.org - 952-277-2427