We were lucky to catch up with Darius Norman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Darius, thanks for joining us today. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?

I would like to thank Canvas Rebel for giving me this opportunity to share today with your viewership about a recent heartwarming story I was involved in. As a social worker, I work with individuals who face challenges in different aspects. And I look for this story to provide comfort, inspiration, and strength to those who are looking to be inspired to overcome the challenges that life throws at us.

As I mentioned to provide context I am a Social Worker with over 23 years of experience working in the profession. I am a proud graduate of Morris Brown College and Clark Atlanta University. And I must say that I am very fortunate to matriculate and develop my skillset at two of the finest institutions in the United States of America.

Presently, I am employed and have been working in the healthcare sector as a social worker for over 11 years now.

Recently I was assigned a case to work with a gentleman who experienced a tremendous setback that impacted him dually in his health and finances which forced him to become homeless. And from that point, he had to live and sleep in his car for over a month.

As the story unfolds my incredible, passionate, friend, and colleague, (Cindy Hodnett) who is a Registered Nurse and myself were driven by a sense of urgency to help this gentleman find a solution to the challenges he was facing. As my colleague and myself began to work with this gentleman every time myself and colleague would speak with him we noticed that he remained optimistic that things would work out for him.

I admired his faith and tenacity and it motivated me to work passionately to find a better solution for him.

My colleague and I begin to pray and search for temporary housing resources to help this gentleman. And from there we were able to link him with Hosea Helps which is a staple and incredible organization in the greater Atlanta area that does a lot for the local community.

I thank God for Hosea’s Help and the wonderful people who work for the organization and the work that they do in the community. We were able to collaborate with them to provide temporary shelter for the gentleman. Currently, he is in better health and he was able to regain his employment back and secure stable housing for himself again.

In closing the number one thing I learned from this experience is that you never know what challenges individuals are facing you encounter. And it’s very important to be empathetic and compassionate when you are engaging with other individuals.

Also, another important invaluable lesson I learned was the power of teamwork. Working and collaborating with others is a key component to making a goal become a reality.

And lastly, I realized that the profession of Social Work is a difficult but rewarding calling. I likened Social workers to be God’s servants to address social, financial, and psychological needs that impact individuals, families, children, and communities.

Darius, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I became a social worker because I knew from a young age that I wanted to make an impact on the lives of individuals and communities who are voiceless and underserved.

One thing I think makes me unique in my profession is that I truly value teamwork and collaboration with others to reach goals that help the individuals and communities we serve to thrive.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I think if you want to grow and build your clientele you must be a person of integrity, who is honest, consistent, and respectful of other people’s time.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Mentorship and coaching are very important if you want to progress and maximize your skillset to be an effective social worker or therapist.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @darius_norman
• Facebook: Darius Norman