Founder Tommy Norman (left) and Executive Director Blake Bourne (right)
Charlotte Bridge Home (CBH) grew from a simple favor requested and granted. Several years ago the organization’s founder, US Army veteran Tommy Norman, received a phone call from a friend asking him to help a severely wounded Iraqi war veteran relocate to Charlotte. Tommy didn’t hesitate to say yes.
More calls came after that, and Tommy and his wife, Patty, found themselves helping more and more veterans find jobs, housing, and schools. The Normans and, more importantly, the vets needed more help. CBH was officially founded in 2011 with help from the Charlotte business community. Research conducted in 2012 determined that returning veterans’ biggest challenges are finding employment, obtaining disability compensation, accessing health care, finding housing, and resolving family issues.
Today, the organization’s services and program areas include:
- An employment alliance of more than sixty companies committed to improving their veteran hiring and retention practices;
- Resume coaching, mock interview training, and job placement services;
- A mental health counseling center that provides no-cost services from staff doctors and counselors; and
- A veterans network that hosts at least eight events per month to help veterans become more engaged in the community through networking, fellowship, and volunteering opportunities.
CBH also orchestrates NCServes for the Metrolina, part of the nationwide AmericaServes network of public, private, and nonprofit organizations that serve veterans, service members, and their families.
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