Triumph Over Tragedy: One Chaldean Creates For the Kids Foundation
Twelve years ago, college junior Norman Yatooma was elected Student Body President of Taylor University in Indiana. He anxiously called his father to tell him the great news, only to leave him a voicemail. His father called him back to congratulate him, but when Norman did not answer, his father sent him a message sending his best wishes.
It was the last time Norman would ever hear his father’s voice.
Manuel S. Yatooma, Norman’s father, was viciously murdered the next day. He was carjacked and shot twice in the head outside a convenience store in Detroit. There were never any arrests and the killing remains a mystery to this day.
The Yatooma family was never the same again. Norman’s mother, Andrea, became a young widow with four sons ages 20, 14, 13, and 11. Suddenly, Norman, the oldest child, became the man of the house.
Family and friends offered the Yatooma’s their support in the wake of Manuel’s death, as did their church. But there was no formal or consistent help available in regard to their emotional and financial well-being. They found themselves in absolute turmoil, dealing with their father’s tragic death and handling the economic burdens that came as a result.
The family faced endless claims made against the family’s estate; some by their own relatives. After their lawyers settled the suits and collected their own fees, the Yatooma’s were left with nothing.
Nevertheless, “with God’s help,” he says, Norman triumphed over this tragedy. He continued his education and earned a law degree from Indiana University – Bloomington. He now operates Norman Yatooma & Associates, P.C., a professional corporation of 12 attorneys and counselors based in Birmingham.
Norman vowed that he would never let his father’s malicious homicide be in vain. He wanted to do something to honor his memory. On father’s Day of 2003, ten years after his father’s passing, he launched For The Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides guidance and support to children who have lost one or both parents.
“We weren’t prepared for my father’s death,” said Norman, “but we are determined to make sure that good comes from it. Our Foundation’s purpose is to provide grieving families with all of the practical, professional and personal assistance that we so desperately needed after my father’s passing.”
For The Kids Foundation has a staff of 200 volunteers whose service range from legal advice to everyday citizens buying and delivering groceries to families in need. Among many other free services, are grief counseling, job placement, and household and car maintenance. One hundred percent of the monetary donations go directly to the people in need. Norman Yatooma & Associates, along with its Board of Directors, underwrite all of the charity’s expenses.
For the Kids’ Board of Directors meets monthly to present new and updated information. The Advisory Board and committee heads determine the specific needs of each family, offer household and professional services, and develop fundraisers. Charity Motors and www.ThisIsJewelry.com designate a percentage of their proceeds to For The Kids. This unique charity is the first and only one of its kind in the United States. Some like it were formed after 9/11, but they were specifically designed to assist families who lost loved ones after the World Trade Center and Pentagon disasters. For The Kids helps families in all walks of life who have lost a parent in any manner, to illness or tragedy, and without regard to race or religion.
Since the organization began two years ago, For The Kids has helped hundreds of people. They now receive approximately 25 calls a month from families needing help and are likewise always appreciative of referrals, donations of service, and monetary gifts.
“My father’s murder was the most overwhelming and brutal experience that I’ve ever lived through,” said Norman. “This is my way of keeping my father’s memory alive. In this way, my father will continue to change lives even after his has sadly ended.
