Tommy Norman has seen a lot of things as a North Little Rock, Ark. police officer. But he saw something that he never saw before the day he met pregnant mother Jessica and her daughter Kayla who were both sleeping on a public sidewalk.
“I passed the sidewalk in the middle of my patrol area and then I see a baby stroller but I didn’t see anyone lying next to the stroller,” he told THV11. “Kayla was laying asleep on Jessica’s chest and it’s something I’ve never seen before.”
Jessica said she was almost as startled by Norman as he was startled by her.
“He woke us up and I was scared I was in trouble or something,” she said.
According to USA Today, Jessica had become homeless after leaving a domestic violence situation.
She was staying in a shelter but had stayed the maximum amount of time allowed at the shelter and had to leave. She was also due any day with her baby boy.
She thought that staying in a public place would be the safest place to sleep.
Norman was not about to see this woman give birth on the sidewalk so he took Jessica and her daughter to a local motel.
Norman is no stranger to community service. He is known for his social media presence posting about those in his community who need some help or just giving people a shout out for doing good in their lives.
Others who are more fortunate in the community often see his posts and step in to help their neighbors. He also helps boosts the self-esteem of children and others in their community which encourages them to continue doing good things to improve their lives.
What he does with his social media accounts is a completely brilliant way to get the community to help each other and it’s also quite beautiful.
Norman’s post about Jessica ended up going viral and donations of clothing, shoes, diapers, food, and toys started pouring in. Jessica ended up giving birth a few days later.
Norman was working to find permanent housing for the family and two families had stepped in to pay for 7 months worth of rent for them.
He’s also helping Jessica to find a job. Norman embodies the true definition of an officer’s pledge to protect and serve.
We are happy to hear that he was honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Arkansas Chapter with the President’s Award.
“There’s just so many people out there that can’t take a stand for themselves, for whatever reason that may be,” Norman wrote in an interview with Inviting Arkansas. “So I really try to lift those people up to where they realize: ‘Hey, I do mean something to someone and someone cares.'”
We’re glad to see he’s getting the recognition he deserves. You can follow him on Facebook here and on Instagram here.
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