Norm Sommerville was a dedicated and greatly respected Volunteer at Hope + Me.  He gave us his exceptional leadership, dedication, and passion for our work here. Authenticity was his strong suit, and Norm commanded every room he entered with his compassion, empathy, and quiet, measured wisdom. 

Norm loved his family and spoke to us often about his two daughters Jessica and Melanie.  We grew to know them through his stories of their impressive accomplishments. As a loving father, Norm was always so proud of his children.  Please keep his family in your thoughts as they go through this difficult time. 

In 2015, Norm Sommerville received the Karen Liberman ‘Lit from Within’ Award.  This award recognizes the volunteer who demonstrates outstanding leadership, creativity, and innovation in contributing to Hope + Me programs and services.  Norm was one of the award’s most deserving recipients.

At Hope + Me, Norm encouraged everyone to find a cause they care about and get involved, as volunteering for him was such an enriching and rewarding experience.  Norm Sommerville was a greatly valued and respected member of our team and was always demonstrating his warmth, openness, curiosity, and great interest in others' experiences, stories, and perspectives. Norm believed that volunteering was as beneficial to him as the people he spoke to on the Warm Line. He enjoyed helping people and found it rewarding when they let them know how much he helped them, which was often.

As a one-on-one peer support worker, Norm excelled at inviting individual perspectives and providing space to express them.  An active listener, he provided positive feedback toward personal strength that encouraged hope and self-determination for anyone who came to him.  

We at Hope + Me shall miss Norm dearly.  Over the past six years, we were greatly privileged to work with him. Yet we also came to know Norm as our peer, our friend, and our teacher, for he taught us so much about empathy, humility, and the human connection.