http://yankton.net/articles/2012/06/19/community/doc4fdfef7dc44e1167939761.txt

Norman Brings Faith Message To Town

By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net

Growing up, Les Norman did not have a normal childhood— not even close.

He grew up in a home that had poverty and a father who was abusive, angry and alcoholic.

“I struggled with anger growing up because I didn’t have a father,” Norman said.

His way of escaping the realities back home was by playing baseball. After he graduated from high school in Braidwood, Ill., he earned a gold medal with the Junior Olympic North baseball team and received a scholarship to play football and baseball at the University of St. Francis.

He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1991, and earned the Royals’ minor league player of the year honor in 1993. He made his major league debut with the Royals in 1995.

Norman will speak at Mount Marty College tonight  at 7 p.m.(Tuesday) in the Marian Auditorium in Yankton.

In an event called “Putting Faith In Your Family,” Norman will speak about how you can use your faith in God to create a better relationship with your family.

One of the topics that he will address at the event will be the misconception that all professional athletes care about is money, fame and success.

“People think that the grass is always greener with money and fame,” Norman said. “However, the foundation of family cannot be money and fame, it must be faith.”

His speech will be geared towards parents and focus on how they can have better relationships with their spouses and their children.

“One of my biggest passions in life is spending tons of time with my kids and the incredible relationship I have with my wife Kristin,” he said.

“One thing I would want people to take out of my speech is to take a look in the mirror after they leave the event in order to become a better spouse and parent,” Norman added.

He will also speak about how you can experience more joy in your family by having faith in God and family.

Norman gives several reasons for why people should come to see him speak.

He said that he is an open book and has had many successes and failures in his life that people could relate to and learn from to better their own lives. He added that people will also get the chance to ask him questions after his presentation.

“I’m an open book,” Norman said. “I’m real and I’ll speak to the audience on a personal level. I’m just as much of a listener than a speaker when I speak about topics like marriage and family.”

Norman and his wife reside in the Kansas City, Mo. area and have two sons, Mack, 10, and Tayt, 7. He currently gives speeches to groups around the country and hosts a radio show in Kansas City.

Tonight’s event is free and open to the public.

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at www.twitter.com/andrewatwal