Thomas & Patricia Norman Founders, Charlotte Bridge Home
Thomas Norman has lived most of his life in Charlotte and joined the Army after graduating from Wake Forest University, serving stateside in the Special Forces until 1972. He worked in banking in New York City for three years before returning to Charlotte and starting NORCOM Development, a commercial development firm. In the late 1980s, the Normans and two friends raised more than $350,000 to build a memorial in uptown Charlotte to honor the 101 natives of the city killed in Vietnam. When friend, retired Army Colonel Kevin McDonnell, director of the U.S. Special Operations Command Care Coalition, asked Thomas if he could help a severely wounded Iraqi war veteran who wanted to move to Charlotte, he quickly accepted the opportunity to help a fellow veteran. Thomas received call after call to support veterans in the Charlotte area and he and his wife, Patricia, were soon welcoming veterans into their home and helping them find jobs, places to live and schools for their children. As the calls kept coming, Thomas and Patricia quickly realized the need was far outpacing their efforts.
Thomas and Patricia Norman are tireless advocates for giving veterans an opportunity to serve again, in the civilian world. Together, they founded Charlotte Bridge Home in 2011 with support from the Charlotte business community and Foundation For The Carolinas. Today, Charlotte Bridge Home has helped more than 1,300 veterans successfully transition home after military service by identifying their education, employment and healthcare needs and connecting them to available community, state and federal resources. Through Charlotte Bridge Home, veterans and their families are able to successfully pursue their dreams of building a healthy and productive life in the Charlotte region and our community benefits from their leadership and commitment.
The Charlotte Observer named Thomas among those shaping the Charlotte region on its 2013 Seven to Watch list. Patricia received the Girl Scouts Hornet Nests’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and was honored as Charlotte Women of the Year in 2005.