NORFOLK, Va. — Julius Norman did not know what was coming.
When he arrived at the Envision Center in Norfolk's Calvert Square neighborhood, he'd been told by his team that he was being audited.
But it was the exact opposite...a celebration of close to 40 years of service to the community where Norman himself grew up.
Norman is the Vice President of Client Services for the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority, but around the Calvert Square neighborhood, people know him by other names.
Resident Hattie Taylor Green knows him as "Doc." His employees call him the GOAT: Greatest of All Time.
His colleagues and neighbors say Norman has spent decades making sure people living in Norfolk public housing have everything they need for a better quality of life — from youth programs to job assistance to community engagement.
Gwen Williams has worked alongside Norman for 20 years.
"We have family self-sufficiency, we have community engagement," Williams said. "Youth programs is his passion."
Williams told News 3 that Norman lives by a simple rule:
"Do not cheat his residents," Williams said.
Taylor Green says that's exactly what he brings to hers and other neighborhoods. An impact felt across generations.
"He does everything for the kids and the grown folks. I often tell people go over there and talk to the people in the (Envision) center. They will help you find a job," Taylor Green said.
Right now, a focus for Norman and his team is keeping kids engaged through summer break — through sports, a community garden and other programming.
"We view Julius as the father of NRHA," Williams said. "He has touched and impacted so many lives of our youth who could have been going down the wrong path."
When presented with the News 3 Everyday Hero award, Norman deflected the credit.
"I'm gonna be totally honest. I can't do this work without, not only my staff, but I'm talking about the community itself," Norman said.
Along with the award, Norman received a $425 Visa gift card from Southern Bank — $125 of which is in honor of the bank's 125th anniversary. He said he already knew where the money was going.
"We can really use this for programming because one of the things that happened with our grants…we can't purchase food," Norman said.
Williams said the recognition is long overdue.
"Though he's not slam dunking on the court any more, he continues to slam dunk within our communities," Williams said. "He is definitely worthy of this award and we are so excited for him."
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