Orem Woman Honored for Service at Shelter for Abused Women

SALT LAKE CITY — Over the course of nearly three decades of volunteer service, Norma Paramore has done everything from delivering mail and answering phone to comforting rape victims and helping women escape abusive relationships.

For more than 25 years, Paramore has volunteered at the Orem-based Center for Women and Children in Crisis. She spent her first five years on the Rape Crisis Team, where she supported victims of rape and sexual assault as they recovered from the attacks. Since then she has volunteered every Monday at the Utah County shelter for abused women and children.

Paramore, who was honored with the Power of Service Award by UServeUtah, the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism, at the Utah State Capitol, has given more than 6,000 hours during her nearly three decades of work with the shelter. Additionally, she serves lunch at the Food and Care Coalition in Provo and serves in the Provo temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on a weekly basis.

While her time at the shelter has not lacked for drama, she has also spent many hours doing relatively mundane tasks that ensure the shelter continues to serve their clients at a time of crisis.

“Norma will do almost anything we ask. She will deliver donations, pick up mail, and even take clients to appointments,” Shelter Manager Laurie Loader said. “But she also knows that simply answering the phone can mean answering a cry for help, and she can become a superhero in an instant.”

Paramore was presented with her Power of Service Award at the Utah State Capitol on July 20, 2017, by UServeUtah Commission Chair Debbie Hardy and UServeUtah Director LaDawn Stoddard.

The Power of Service Award is presented three times per year to a volunteer who shows significant commitment to their community and demonstrates the power of volunteer service through their activities. All nominees for the Lieutenant Governor’s Volunteer Recognition Certificate are eligible for considertion to receive the Power of Service Award. Visit userve.utah.gov to learn more about the Lieutenant Governor’s Volunteer Recognition Certificate.