Our Hometown Hero – Norman Yatooma
“Bringing Tenderness to Tragedy for the Families of Kids Who Have Lost a Parent”
March 11, 1992, Norman Yatooma, a 20 year old junior at Taylor University in Indiana, received a phone call at school with devastating news; his father had been killed trying to stop a carjacking. As he was driven home from school by Nicole, his future wife, along with the university’s Dean and Director, the realization hit him that he and his family were forever changed by the bullet that took his father’s life.
The seeds for the dream of Yatooma’s Foundation for the Kids were planted during the strain the Yatooma family experienced after the loss of Manuel Yatooma. The days, months and years after his death were filled with struggle, uncertainty, income loss, fear of losing their home and much grief. Not only did they have to handle life without Manuel, but they also had to deal with closing the estate with creditors, other family members and lawyers battling to get a piece.
Yatooma worked side jobs while finishing school and managed to keep the family afloat as he completed his education. After spending exorbitant amount of time battling lawyers, he felt compelled to gain a law degree of his own and founded his own successful law firm, Norman Yatooma & Associates, P.C. in 2000. Finally, on Father’s Day in 2003, 10 years after his father’s tragic murder, the dream was realized with the founding of Yatooma’s Foundation for the Kids in honor and loving memory of this father, Manuel Yatooma.
The mission of the foundation is “Bringing Tenderness to tragedy, and turning tragedy into triumph for the families of kids who have lost a parent by providing practical, professional and personal assistance at each stage of the grieving and recovery process.” Within the last four years, the foundation has helped nearly 400 children. It is a unique charity, one that offers specific help to families that have lost one or both parents. Yatooma says, “There are a lot of charities that do a lot for a lot of people, but no organization that focuses on kids who had a normal life on Monday and, on Tuesday, everything changed.” Services range from the simple, such as mowing the grass and helping with groceries, to the complex, such as assistance navigating the legal system. The charity relies on a network of volunteers to provide services, so that money donated can be used to help families who are in financial crisis.
Currently the foundation serves the families in Southeast Michigan but is making plans to expand to the Midwest and eventually nationally. This past summer, the 2nd annual fundraiser, “Champions for the Kids,” brought in over half a million dollars. The event was held at the Townsend Hotel and Oakland Hills Country Club with Michigan State University and WJR as Presenting Sponsors.
If you are interested in donating, joining the nearly 300 volunteers that are currently serving or know of a family that needs help call the office at 888-987-KIDS (5437) or visit www.foundationforthekids.org to make an online donation, get a volunteer application or request services.
