Amos Norman spent a decade working for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne, and one of his attributes stood out above all others: Empathy. Norman doesn’t merely see a need in his community, he feels it.
“Amos just has a wonderful ability to put himself in other people’s shoes,” Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne President Joe Jordan said.
Norman’s drive to serve others, developed in part while earning a University of Saint Francis degree in social work in 2005, continues to soar in his current role as a YMCA District Executive Director. He oversees the operations at the Renaissance Pointe YMCA’s Bowser Avenue facility and provides executive leadership for the Youth Services Bureau, Central YMCA branch and Skyline YMCA branch.
When the COVID-19 pandemic changed everyone’s lives during the spring and summer of 2020, Norman felt its impact on the people who consider the Renaissance Pointe YMCA their neighborhood center.
“When COVID-19 hit, it was so devastating,” Norman said. “We could see that people were struggling.”
The Renaissance Pointe YMCA supplies weekday hot meals for ages 18 and younger, but the onset of the pandemic created an even greater need. “One of the saddest things you can see is a parent bring their child in to receive something to eat, and the parent walks away hungry,” Norman said. “That pulls on your heartstrings.”
With the YMCA’s normal operations on hold during the height of the pandemic, Norman reached out to community partners and organized hot meals for entire families. The YMCA partnered with Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church to prepare the meals, distributed them at the Renaissance Pointe YMCA and delivered meals to in-need places such as Phoenix Manor and Villages of Hanna apartments. The organization distributed more than 16,000 meals.
“We felt like a restaurant churning them out, but we made sure to take care of the southeast side,” Norman said. “We knew that would be the only hot meal for some families. We didn’t think hunger and a lack of food should be one of the barriers when there were so many things to worry about.”
Norman’s commitment to service began when he worked at SCAN (Stop Child Abuse and Neglect) after earning his bachelor’s degree. “I learned so much in my social work classes because they created some real-life experiences, which was really good,” he said. “I was prepared to go work at SCAN and deal with some of the worst cases you might see because of what I learned at Saint Francis.”
Norman moved on to the Boys & Girls Clubs and worked as director of operations. He used his social work skills on a “more preventative side” with the clubs, implementing some organizational and policy changes to help the clubs grow. During that time, he married his wife Maria, and they now have a 10-year-old son Elijah. While Norman enjoyed his time with the Boys & Girls Clubs, he knew moving to the YMCA would be another step upward in his career and his opportunity to impact others. He is in his fourth year at the YMCA.
“The opportunity at the Y is a perfect fit for him,” Jordan said. “You never want to lose a good person like Amos in our organization, but he served the Boys & Girls Clubs well and I’m happy to see him making a difference with the Y.”
Norman values the YMCA’s reputation for meeting needs while also promoting health and physical fitness.
“The most important thing for people to know about the work I do through the Y is it’s all about being impactful,” Norman said. “I love that the Y allows you to do things in a humble spirit. I love being attached to something greater than myself. People trust the Y, and that allows me to magnify my work and my heart, and I’m grateful to be in the position I’m in.”
As with the pandemic-inspired meal program, Norman envisions the Renaissance Pointe YMCA as being a solid foundation for community and caring in its neighborhood.
“We want this place to be more than just pushing weights around,” he said. “You’ll get fed, we’ll help you find employment, help you with educational needs, be role models and mentors to your children. It’s not about creating a hoopla but about being impactful and changing lives.”
Always looking for ways to help others, Norman serves as a mentor for first-generation college student-athletes at USF. The program, which began this fall, seeks to improve the retention rate for these students.
“I’m proud to be an alumnus and honored to be asked to come back and work on a project based on things they’ve seen me do in the community,” he said. “I’m grateful to have the influence I have and to make changes in the community. I love being attached to something greater than myself.”