As the mother of a son with a brain injury, Kay Hammes quickly learned that there were no community programs to support adults with brain injuries in residential settings. She was determined to provide an option. ASI met Kay after she had founded the New Beginnings for Brain Injury (NBBI) Program. Realizing that our goals and programs were compatible, NBBI was dissolved as a nonprofit organization in 1984 and became an ASI program, with Kay serving as House Coordinator in a residential setting.

Over the next 20 years, NBBI expanded, providing 24/7/365 supportive living services to Minnesotans with brain injuries. Kay Hammes continued to develop new opportunities for consumers including the Shared Living Program which provides adult foster care in comfortable homes and the Independent Living Program that assists individuals in developing skills for greater independence.

Kay Hammes retired from ASI on December 31, 2007 after transforming our organization and the lives of countless individuals.