- University News Archive - 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock /news-archive/tag/tommy-norman/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Wed, 23 Jan 2019 14:02:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock nursing students 鈥楽hop with a Cop鈥 /news-archive/2019/01/23/nursing-students-shop-cop/ Wed, 23 Jan 2019 14:02:55 +0000 /news/?p=73192 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock nursing students 鈥楽hop with a Cop鈥]]> More than 30 nursing students from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock brought some Christmas cheer to families in North Little Rock by volunteering at the annual 鈥淪hop with A Cop鈥 program last month.聽 Tommy Norman, a North Little Rock police officer who has gained national attention for his positive community policing and outreach efforts, started the 鈥淪hop with a Cop鈥 program, now in its 13th year, to help financially struggling students at Christmas time. Nursing students who participated in 鈥淪hop with a Cop鈥 include Mary Akama-Makia, Jeri Baldonado, Aaron Baxter, Lindsey Bowman, Madeline Carnahan, Brittany Dobbins, Alexis Edwards, Lisa Freeland, Charie Gasaway, Tara Gosseline, Blakelee Gray, Renita Hall, David Harris, Macey Highfill, Kimberly Hill, Ashley Holland, Elizabeth Hurtt, Angela Keaton, Sean Lindsey, Natalie Gossett, Christine McEuen, Janelle McGowan, Michael Michelsen, Ashley Moore, Monica Morrison, Jessica Nielsen, Sandi Ortega, William Porter, Nicole Purdy, Abby Sentz, Undrane Tisdale, and Nadine Whitehead. Angela Keaton, president of Alpha Delta Nu, selected 鈥淪hop with a Cop鈥 as the nursing student honor society鈥檚 service project because she wanted the group to expand their horizon beyond the healthcare field. 鈥淲e are very acclimated to service projects in healthcare,鈥 said Keaton, who graduated from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock this month. 鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 about being service men and women in the community.鈥 Keaton said she met Norman when they both worked at Pinnacle Point Hospital and is impressed by his community outreach projects. In December, 75 families were selected for the program. Each child is given a $200 gift card, so they can buy presents for themselves. In the spirit of learning to give back, the child also buys at least one gift for a family member. The nursing students spent the day at the Walmart on Each McCain in North Little Rock helping children shop for Christmas presents with police officers, wrapping presents, greeting family members, and taking the purchase out to vehicles. 鈥淭he experience was very rewarding,鈥 Keaton said. 鈥淚t allowed me to take a step back and be grateful for what I have and what I can provide for my kids. We are looking at underprivileged kids who wouldn鈥檛 have a lot for Christmas. These kids are receiving a positive experience that they normally wouldn鈥檛 receive. It was very fulfilling and rewarding for myself as well as the other nursing students.鈥 Keaton hopes to stay involved in the program in the future. 鈥淚鈥檓 really involved in the community, so it鈥檚 probably something I will do going forward. I hope future nursing students get to engage in such a rewarding opportunity,鈥 she said.
More than 30 nursing students from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock brought some Christmas cheer to families in North Little Rock by volunteering at the annual 鈥淪hop with A Cop鈥 program on Dec. 9.

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock nursing students volunteer with Officer Tommy Norman’s annual 鈥淪hop with A Cop鈥 program on Dec. 9.

]]> Officer Tommy Norman details life of giving to packed 糖心Vlog传媒LR crowd /news-archive/2016/10/19/officer-tommy-norman/ Wed, 19 Oct 2016 16:46:56 +0000 /news/?p=65534 ... Officer Tommy Norman details life of giving to packed 糖心Vlog传媒LR crowd]]> When he was 13, Tommy Norman saw an advertisement for Feed the Children, a nonprofit relief organization that fights child hunger. Norman was so moved by the images that he gave his mother the $60 he saved and asked her to help a child overseas. 鈥淭hat particular moment really captured my heart,鈥 Norman said. 鈥淔rom that point on, I always remember to try to find ways to help people.鈥 Norman鈥檚 desire to help others and an unusual turn of events turned him into a local celebrity and role model for his community policing efforts in the Little Rock area. During a standing-room only Oct. 13 event at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Donaghey Student Center, spectators lined the halls to hear Norman talk about the positive impact of community policing. The 糖心Vlog传媒LR Criminal Justice Society sponsored the free presentation. Norman鈥檚 work and involvement with the Little Rock area community drew national attention and led to a after his son Harlem searched online for a police officer who was making a difference. With the money raised, Norman is starting a nonprofit organization to help people in central Arkansas. Norman has become a social media star, with , and more than . He uses those platforms to highlight his interactions with members of the community, and his video and photo posts often include messages such as #CommunityPolicing or #ChangeLives. Dr. Molly Smith, assistant professor of criminal justice, organized Norman鈥檚 visit to 糖心Vlog传媒LR to show criminal justice students how community policing can be utilized to help the community. 鈥淲e want to showcase to our students the benefits of community policing and how they can make a difference in their future careers,鈥 Smith said.

A cause that never ends

Community policing doesn鈥檛 end when his shift is over, Norman said. He is greatly involved in the lives of residents, often attending birthday parties, graduations, barbecues, and funerals. 鈥淚f you have a visible interest in the community, you don鈥檛 really get a day off.鈥 he said. 鈥淎s a police officer, you shouldn鈥檛 just be arresting people. You should be checking up on them, saying hello.鈥 Members of the community often know where Norman is when he is off duty. Once, when Norman was working security at Kroger on a day off, a mother called him because her son, who had committed a crime, wanted to turn himself in to a police officer who would treat him 鈥渨ith dignity.鈥 鈥淐ommunity policing builds trust, builds respect, but it can also solve crimes,鈥 he said. Since becoming an Internet sensation, Norman said 鈥渢he eyes of the world have really been on me,鈥 but he doesn鈥檛 let the attention change who he is. 鈥淭he position that I鈥檓 in, I don鈥檛 take it for granted,鈥 Norman said. 鈥淲hat got me through each step in life was my heart. Your legacy will be how you treated people,鈥 Norman said.]]>