Foundation Supports Kids Who Lose Parents To Violent Crimes
WEST BLOOMFIELD (WWJ) - A local organization is making sure the children of a fallen West Bloomfield police officer will be taken care of.
Patrick O'Rourke was killed in the midst of a 20-hour armed standoff that began last Sunday. It ended when discovered the shooter, Ricky Coley, had died by what a medical examiner has ruled was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Prominent Detroit Attorney Norman Yatooma, Chair of Yatooma's Foundation for Kids, explained the non-profit group provides a cushion of support following these types of tragedies.
"The purpose of the foundation all together is to help children who have lost a parent -- that's the only reason the charity exists," Yatooma told WWJ Newsradio 950's Kathryn Larson. "It's dedicated in my father's memory. He also died in a violent crime when he was young.
"The charity helps kids with everything after mom or dad has passed -- from help in the home, grief counseling, financial assistance -- we do everything we can for these kids," he said.
Yatooma says 100 percent of proceeds from the charity go directly to children. He said it's simply the right thing to do.
"There's no warning and there's no opportunity to say goodbye and you lose a provider and a mentor and a friend. It's the least that we, as a community, can do to gather around them and to help," he said.
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To learn more about Yatooma's Foundation for Kids, visit this link or call 800-987-KIDS.
To find out how to donate directly to a fund that will support the O'Rourke or Coley families, click here.
Alternatively, you may send a check, indicating which fund(s) you would like to support to:
Yatooma's Foundation for the Kids
1900 South Telegraph Road
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
